Fixing A Hole
by BeatlesChick
Summary: Maggie moves to New York to pursue her dream of being an artist, and gets swept up in a colourful world of music, friendship, revolution and love. Follows the movie with an OC along for the ride. Max/OC. Rated for language.
1. Chapter 1 Maggie Mae

**Author's Note:** This story has been flitting around my head for a long time now, and I finally decided to get moving and write it. I know the whole movie plot with an OC thing has been done before but I hope people will give this a chance anyway. Enjoy! And one more thing, so no one can say I didn't give fair warning and because I think its only fair to let you know, there is a scene of attempted rape in this chapter. Nothing really dark or graphic, its strong language more than anything else, but I didn't think I should spring that on you without affixing a warning label.

_Oh dirty Maggie Mae_

_They have taken her away_

_And she never walk down Lime Street anymore_

***

**Chapter One – Maggie Mae**

"_Maggie, do you really need to leave?"_

_She looked up into the face of her twin and smiled. "Yes, Dave, we've been through this. You know Mom and Dad won't let me do anything I want if I stay here. They just want me to get married and be the perfect little housewife, which you and I both know is not going to happen."_

_Dave chuckled. "I know. But d'you have to follow your dreams all the way to New York? I'm gonna worry about my other half being all alone in the big city."_

"_I'll be fine. Just you wait, my pictures will be in magazines and galleries before you know it. I can take care of myself."_

"_I know." He pulled her into a hug. "I love you, Maggie Mae."_

"_Love you too."_

Maggie wearily unlocked the door to her apartment and slipped inside, relocking it behind her and tossing her keys and a large wad of cash onto the small table. She let her coat fall to the floor halfway to the bathroom; upon entering the small tiled room she promptly rid herself of her clothing and stepped into the shower. Turning on the water as hot as she could stand it, Maggie stood there trying to wash away the dirty feeling she had when she left the club every night, to rid herself of the feel of strange hands roaming over her skin. Tears began to mingle with the water sliding down her cheeks as she remembered the conversation she'd had with her brother nearly four months ago, moments before she'd hopped on a train and left their small town home for New York City, her head full of hopes and dreams.

_Yeah, sure I can take care of myself, _Maggie thought bitterly. _I just have to dance naked in front of complete strangers to do so._

Maggie wasn't sure how much time passed while she stood there and she only shut off the shower when the water ran cold. Wrapping a towel around her slender frame she rested her hips against the sink and wiped the steam from the tiny mirror. She studied the young woman gazing back at her from the glass; she looked mostly the same as ever, with her fair skin and long wavy brown hair, but her green eyes had been stripped of the vibrancy and laughter they had once held. Taking in her reflection Maggie realized that if something didn't change soon, this city was going to kill her.

***

"_Well, shake it up baby now"_

Max grinned widely as he half-sang, half-shouted a song from the concert he and Jude had just left.

"_Shake it up baby"_

Jude joined in as the pair made their lazy way down the street, both a little drunk and singing at the top of their voices, not caring that it was almost three in the morning and that people might be sleeping.

"_Twist and shout_

_Twist and shout_

_C'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon baby now_

_Come on baby_

_Come on and work it on out_

_Work it on out…"_

Jude stumbled a little on the sidewalk and Max caught his arm, laughing.

"Man you're drunker than I thought you were."

"'M not drunk, you bugger. Sidewalk's just uneven," Jude retorted.

They both laughed as they continued towards the apartment that had been home since they'd arrived in New York a few weeks previously. Max wondered vaguely if Sadie would still be awake when they got back. He thought she might be; it was Saturday night after all. Maybe they'd all have a few drinks together when he and Jude got home…

Just then a muffled scream shattered his musings. Max stopped and looked at Jude.

"You hear that?"

Jude nodded, suddenly much more alert. "I think it came from over there," he said, pointing to an alley some way ahead. Max glanced up and saw that the alley was next to a strip club, but before he had time to ponder the situation further the distinct sounds of a struggle floated out of the alley, followed by a woman's frightened voice.

"No – stop! Get – off – me!"

Max and Jude glanced at each other and without a word set off towards the dark alley.

"C'mon you little whore, the way you were shakin' your ass on that stage, I know you want it."

The menacing tone of that gruff voice made Max feel sick as he and Jude hurried closer.

"Get the fuck off me!" The woman shrieked and Max heard what sounded to him like someone being kicked hard in the shin.

"You bitch! That fucking hurt!"

A loud smack followed by a small squeak of pain from the woman. "You better learn your place, you filthy little slut," growled the deep male voice.

There was the sound of ripping cloth as Max and Jude rushed into the alley. A sleazy looking man had a young woman pinned against the wall with his hand under her shirt, which was badly torn. She was putting up one hell of a fight but he was obviously much stronger than her. Max felt a surge of fury as the man nuzzled her neck and his hand slid up her leg, disappearing under her skirt.

"Stop – please stop," the girl sobbed.

"Shut up whore," snarled the man.

"I believe the lady said stop," Max shouted, his voice shaking with barely suppressed rage.

"I think you'd better leave her alone," added Jude furiously.

The man let go of the girl, who slid down the wall as her legs gave out beneath her. Max and Jude started towards the man, both very much wanting to cause him serious physical harm, and he turned and ran. Rather than run after him and beat the bastard to a pulp, Max turned his attention to the weeping young woman on the ground. He and Jude crouched down on either side of her and after a moment's hesitation Max gently placed his arm around her shoulders. At this she sobbed harder than ever and clung to him, crying into his chest while Max awkwardly rubbed her back in what he hoped was a comforting way.

After several long minutes she seemed to pretty much cry herself out, letting out small, hiccupping sobs as she loosened her hold on Max and raised her head to wipe her streaming eyes. She accepted the handkerchief Jude offered her without looking up and mopped the tears off her face, still sniffling and hiccoughing.

While her head was still bent Max shot a look at Jude and was met with the same confusion and shock that he himself was feeling; what was someone supposed to say in a situation like this?

Both young men were saved from thinking of something to say when the young woman sitting between them broke the tense silence.

"Thank you," she said in a tiny voice.

"We couldn't've just let that bastard…you know," Jude replied quietly.

Max nodded. "C'mon, we'll take you home. Can you stand up?"

"I – I think so," she said quietly, slowly hauling herself to her feet. She stood for a moment before her eyes slid out of focus and she swayed alarmingly; both Max and Jude reached out to steady her and she slumped against Max's chest, unconscious. He scooped the slim young woman up into his arms and turned to Jude.

"We've got to get her home."

***

Maggie woke as a stream of warm sunlight fell across her face. As she rolled over and opened her eyes the memories of the night before came crashing into her mind and she sat bolt upright.

"Whoa, easy there."

Maggie's head whipped around to find a woman with wildly curly hair sitting in a chair next to the bed. _Bed? How did I end up in a bed? And for that matter, where the hell am I?_

"Easy darlin'. My name's Sadie. You're in my apartment. My boys brought you in last night, unconscious and looking a right mess. You remember what happened, honey?" she asked gently.

Maggie swallowed hard and nodded shakily. "Yeah, I…where are they? The guys who saved me?"

"Max and Jude. I'm sure they'll be barging in here soon as they realize you're awake. They've both been real worried about you."

"Damn right we have." Maggie looked up to see the two young men from last night enter the room. The blond one, who Maggie vaguely remembered clinging to the previous night, sat on the end of the bed while the dark-haired one perched on the arm of Sadie's chair. Both of them gazed at her with genuine concern.

Clearing her throat quietly, Sadie stood up. "I'll go make you some coffee."

The dark-haired man slid into the vacant chair as Sadie left the room and Maggie looked from him to the blond sitting at the end of the bed, completely at a loss for what to say.

"So, does our damsel in distress have a name?" asked the blond, a kind smile on his handsome face.

"Maggie."

"Max," he replied, extending a hand which Maggie tentatively shook. He nodded toward his friend. "This here's Jude."

Maggie nodded and silence fell between them once more. Clearing her throat she tried to put into words the immense gratitude she felt to these two young men.

"About last night…well…thank you," she began. "Oh, _God_, that is just so inadequate…I owe you both so much. I can't thank you enough."

Jude looked at her as if she had lost her mind. "You don't need to thank us. We just did what any decent person would've done."

"But I –"

"We weren't going to leave you in that situation," Max said, cutting her off.

"But…"

"Enough," said Max, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "We understand."

Maggie nodded, smiling faintly despite everything; Max's good humour seemed to be contagious and she felt safer here with these two near strangers than she had in months.

"Okay," said Jude, standing up. "Bathroom's just down the hall if you want to clean up, I'm sure Sadie can give you something to wear. Then just come on into the kitchen and we'll find you something to eat."

***

Sure enough, after she'd taken a quick shower Maggie was provided with a pair of faded blue jeans and a pale yellow tank top to wear courtesy of Sadie, both of which were a bit too big but Maggie was extremely grateful nonetheless. She rolled up the bottoms of the jeans so she wouldn't tread on them, ran her fingers through her damp hair a few times and followed the sound of voices into the kitchen.

Sadie, Max and Jude were all sitting around a table drinking coffee when Maggie entered the room. Jude pulled out the chair next to him and handed Maggie a mug of steaming coffee as she sat down.

"Thanks," she said, taking a sip.

"You want something to eat, honey?" Sadie asked. "You look like you could use a good meal."

Maggie opened her mouth to accept the offer when her stomach rumbled, clearly audible in the quiet kitchen. Her cheeks turned pink as Max and Jude chuckled. "Yes, please."

"I'll fix you an omelette," Sadie offered and she began to rummage around in the fridge for ingredients.

Max tilted his chair back, balancing it on two legs. "How come you never cook for us, Sadie?"

"When you suffer a trauma, hon, then I'll cook you up something good," Sadie replied good-naturedly.

"But I'm sure you're a much better chef than me or Jude," Max whined playfully.

Jude grinned. "Speak for yourself, mate, I can cook just fine. Just 'cause you can barely boil water don't mean we're all hopeless."

Maggie snorted with laughter into her coffee. Max shot her a mock-glare across the table, which she returned over the rim of her mug. After a moment Max's face broke into a lopsided grin.

"So, Miss Maggie, where do you call home?"

Maggie drained the last few drops of liquid from her mug and set it on the table before answering. "About five blocks from where you…rescued me last night."

Sadie set down a plate of omelette and toast in front of Maggie and pulled a chair right up next to her; she, Max and Jude all stared in disbelief at Maggie.

"What?" Maggie asked upon noticing their expressions.

"You were going to walk five blocks by yourself at two in the morning?" Max asked, suddenly serious.

Sadie turned to Max and Jude. "Where'd you find her?"

Jude told her and Sadie gasped softly. "Oh honey, that's a dangerous neighbourhood for a pretty young thing like you to be wandering at night."

Maggie stared at the tabletop and bit her lip. "It's not like I have much choice," she mumbled.

"Why the bloody hell were you out there by yourself in the middle of the night?" Jude asked quietly.

Maggie bit down harder on her lip and blinked furiously to rid her eyes of the tears that were beginning to form. "'Cause I'd just got off work, alright? I'm a Goddamn stripper," she replied snappily.

Maggie couldn't bring herself to look up and meet any of their eyes after her blunt admission; she was afraid of what she might see there if she did. The silence stretched on for a ridiculously long moment until Max finally broke it.

"Well that settles it then. We'll just have to be there to make sure you get home safely tonight."

Maggie's head snapped up so fast she almost cricked her neck. She stared wide-eyed at Max, sure that her ears must be playing tricks on her. "I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

Max grinned at the look on her face. "I said that Jude and I'll walk you home tonight."

The damn tears were back. Maggie gave him a watery smile as she wiped her eyes with her napkin. "Thank you so much."

Jude placed a friendly hand on her shoulder. "We're happy to help."

"Just promise me one thing?"

"What's that?"

"Wait for me outside. I don't want you guys to see me like that," Maggie said quietly, determinedly avoiding their eyes.


	2. Chapter 2 Getting Better

**Author's Note: **Hi again! I'd like to say thanks to everyone who added this story to their favourites or alerts, it made me feel really good. And an even bigger thank you to those of you who reviewed - your kind words meant a lot to me and gave me extra motivation to keep going with this fic. So, thanks all!! Oh, and because I completely forgot in the last chappie (ooops), here's the disclaimer - nothing you recognize belongs to me. Especially not the amazing songs which belong of course to the very talented Beatles. There. Hope I don't get sued. And so without further babbling, here's chapter two - hope you like it!

* * *

**Chapter Two – Getting Better**

Maggie smiled as she stood in front of the mirror in her tiny bathroom, brushing her hair.

"_I've got to admit it's getting better_

_A little better all the time_

_I have to admit it's getting better_

_It's getting better_

_Since you've been mine_

_Me used to be angry woman_

_Me hiding me head in the sand_

_You gave me the word_

_I finally heard_

_I'm doing the best that I can_

_I've got to admit it's getting better_

_A little better all the time_

_I have to admit it's getting better_

_It's getting better_

_Since you've been mine_

_Getting so much better all the time_

_It's getting better all the time_

_Better, better, better_

_Getting so much better all the time!"_

She danced out of the bathroom and flopped happily down on her bed. Maggie grinned up at the ceiling; her life had improved so much since she had met Max, Jude and Sadie a couple months ago. Of course she wished they could have met under different circumstances, but regardless she had real friends for the first time since moving to New York.

Every night for the past two months either Max or Jude, or sometimes both would meet Maggie outside the club where she worked and walk home with her; true to their word neither of them had ever set foot inside. Sadie had dropped by Maggie's apartment several times to see how she was doing and have a "much-needed girl chat" as Sadie put it. Maggie was fully aware that Sadie was checking up on her and was touched that the singer cared enough to do so.

And the best part? None of them seemed bothered by what Maggie did to earn a living.

***

"Good evening, m'lady," Max said jokingly, giving an exaggerated bow as Maggie came out of the club that night.

"Oh cut it out," Maggie replied laughing. "You look like an idiot."

Max pretended to be offended. "Now is that any way to talk to your stunningly handsome bodyguard?"

Maggie smirked as she swung her purse onto her shoulder. "I don't know. He doesn't seem to be here," she joked, peering intently up and down the street.

"Hey now, that hurts missy. You're going to pay for that."

"Oh am I?" Maggie challenged, hand on her hip.

Max grinned playfully. "You sure are." And with that he lunged at Maggie, catching her around the waist and tickling her sides.

Maggie immediately began to squirm in a futile attempt to free herself. "Max! Stop it!" she said between giggles.

"Not until you agree that I'm your handsome defender," Max laughed.

"Okay! Okay – you win!" Maggie choked out through uncontrollable laughter.

Max released her, grinning; at once he received a light shove in the chest. "Damn you, Maxwell. I never should have told you that I'm ticklish."

Max's grin widened. "Yeah, you really screwed up on that one. Now let's hear it or I'll tickle you some more."

Maggie's eyes widened and she leapt backwards out of his reach. "Fine. Take me home, oh most handsome and noble champion of mine," she said teasingly.

"Will do," he replied. The pair began walking down the street and Max chuckled when Maggie stayed at a distance. "Oh come on. I promise I'm done tickling you for now."

Maggie shot him a slightly wary look before closing the large gap between them. A chilly breeze ruffled their hair and she shivered, pulling her jacket tighter around her.

"You cold?" Max asked, glancing at her.

Maggie shrugged. "A bit."

"Come here," Max said, placing his arm around her shoulders and drawing her against his side. Max looked down into her face as their strides matched up. "Better?"

"Yeah. Thanks," Maggie replied.

Max smiled. "Good. What kind of a champion would I be if I let you freeze to death?"

"A rather dreadful one, really. Not noble at all," Maggie replied playfully.

They walked along in comfortable silence for a few moments until Maggie noticed Max gazing at her thoughtfully. He seemed to be waging some sort of internal battle.

Maggie frowned. "What?"

"It's nothing, really," Max said, shrugging.

But he continued to look deep in thought so Maggie poked him in the side.

"Seriously, what is it?"

"Nothing."

"_Max_."

"What?"

Poke. "Tell me."

"No, never mind."

Poke. "Yes."

"No."

_Poke!_

"Ow! Cut it out, woman!"

"I'll stop poking you if you'll just tell me what you were thinking, because it clearly wasn't 'nothing'."

Max sighed resignedly. "_Alright_. I was just, kind of wondering, um…"

"Why I'm working as a stripper?"

Max made an odd choking sort of noise. "Well…yeah."

Maggie sighed, not meeting his eyes. She'd been expecting this question for quite some time; frankly she was surprised it had taken this long for someone to ask. "Because I came to New York all alone with no money saved up, which was dumb. Then when I got here I decided to rent an apartment by myself, which was even dumber. I tried working in a crappy café for a while but I needed a job where I could make lots of cash quickly if I wanted to continue to do things like eat."

Max was silent for a moment after Maggie finished her speech. "I see," he finally said. "Why didn't you ask your parents to help you out? Money-wise, I mean?"

Maggie let out a humourless little laugh. "I kind of ran away from home. I couldn't just phone up my parents and ask for money."

Max looked down at her, wanting to know more; he'd never heard Maggie talk much about what her life had been like before she came to New York. "Why?" he asked softly, trying not to pry but at the same time nearly bursting with curiosity.

"You remember I told you a while ago that I want to be an artist?"

"Sure I do. I also remember Jude getting strangely excited when you mentioned it, and then I recall being left out of the conversation for the next half hour," Max joked.

Maggie smiled and gently elbowed him in the side. "Well, my parents didn't think that was a suitable choice for me. They're pretty old-fashioned, my mother especially. All they really wanted me to do was get married, have a bunch of kids and be a good little housewife. I wanted more than that, and I knew I'd never win the on-going argument with them." Maggie shrugged. "So I decided to leave. I gave my brother a note to give to our parents, explaining where I was going and why, and I hopped on a train. I've written them a couple letters since I got here but didn't hear back…" Maggie's voice trailed off and Max could hear sadness in the last few words that hadn't been present when she'd been talking about her departure.

"So your brother knew you were planning to leave, then?" Max asked, trying to steer the conversation away from the apparently painful subject of her parents.

Maggie nodded. "Yeah, David always supported my decisions. He didn't really want to see me go, kept saying he'd worry about his other half – we're twins," Maggie explained when Max shot her a confused glance, "but he understood that I had to get away from our parents if I was ever going to have a chance at living my life the way I want to." She paused. "I wish he was doing the same."

Max frowned. "What do you mean?"

Maggie sighed heavily. "A letter came for him a few weeks before I left. The fucking government forced him into the army. He got shipped out to Vietnam a few months ago. He sends me letters every now and then telling me that everything's okay and that he'll probably be home soon, but I know he's lying." She shook her head sadly.

"I'm sorry," Max whispered, not knowing what else to say. He tightened his hold around her shoulders.

"Thanks." Maggie put her arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. It felt good to finally talk to someone about this. "I hate the damn government for sending all these guys halfway round the world to fight a damn war against their will," she spat bitterly.

Max nodded solemnly; every now and then the thought crossed his mind that _he_ might get one of those letters one day, and it scared the hell out of him.

"I'm so scared for him, Max," Maggie whispered.

"Hey, I'm sure he'll be just fine," he said comfortingly. But he could tell from the look she gave him that Maggie didn't believe a word he'd said, even if she didn't say any more about it. In fact, Max didn't even really believe the words himself.

***

A few nights later Max was leaning his back against the side of the club where Maggie worked, waiting for her to come outside. He had just lit a cigarette and was puffing lazily on it when he saw her exit the building. She hadn't spotted him yet and he was about to call out to her when he noticed that she looked preoccupied; she was chewing her bottom lip like she always did when she was nervous or uncomfortable, and she had a far-off look in her green eyes.

He stepped away from the wall, taking a long drag on his cigarette while wondering whether or not he should ask her what was wrong, and Maggie caught sight of him. Her expression immediately transformed; she stopped biting her lip and smiled widely at him.

"Hey Max! How are you?" she said and Max thought she sounded falsely cheery. He handed her the lit cigarette and studied her as she took a few puffs.

"I'm fine, but never mind that. Are you okay?"

Maggie's head snapped up and she gave him an overly bright smile that practically spelled out 'fake' in thirty-foot-tall neon letters. "'Course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Max accepted the cigarette when she passed it back to him and they began treading the now-familiar route to Maggie's apartment. "You look like something's bugging you. Now, are you gonna tell me or do I have to force it out of you?"

Maggie sighed and took the cigarette back, taking a long drag before answering. "It's my landlord. He's raising the rent in my building. I think I'm gonna have to get a second job to afford it."

Max glanced at the woman he'd become so close to over the past couple months. She was his age and she was dealing with so much crap; his life seemed so easy when he compared it to hers.

"Can he do that?"

Maggie met his gaze. "What – raise the rent? 'Course he can. He owns the damn place."

"That's bullshit," Max said, tossing the butt to the ground and crushing it with his toe.

"Don't have to tell me," Maggie grumbled. "I nearly tore his head off when he told me, which of course accomplished nothing except getting him to threaten me with eviction."

"What?"

Maggie nodded. "Yeah. He told me to deal with it or pack up."

Max stopped walking, grabbed Maggie's arm and turned her to face him. "Well why don't you?"

Maggie stared at him as if he'd suddenly started speaking another language. "You're kidding."

"Not at all," Max replied, shaking his head.

"I can't do that."

"And why not?"

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Where the hell would I go?"

Max stared at her disbelievingly for a second and then burst out laughing. Maggie's jaw dropped and she looked as if she wanted to hit him.

"What the hell is so damn funny? I have an actual problem here and you're _laughing_?"

Max cleared his throat and tried to stifle his laughter, though his bright blue eyes were still gleaming with mirth. "Sorry Maggie, that's not funny, I know. What _is_ funny is that you think you have nowhere to go."

"Tell me what you're talking about before I smack you."

"Come live with me and Jude."

Maggie gaped at him. "What did you just say?"

"It's a simple solution to your problem, right? Come live with us, your rent will be lower. I mean a lot lower – it might even be low enough for you to find a different job."

Max could see his last comment had hit its mark; Maggie's green eyes sparked with hope in a way Max had never seen before.

"You're sure Jude won't mind? And Sadie?"

Max put his hands on her shoulders. "They'll be happy to have you. I promise. As long as you don't wake Sadie from her beauty sleep everything'll be wicked cool."

Maggie stared at Max for a moment before launching herself into his arms and hugging him so hard he stumbled back a couple steps. "Thank you, Max."

***

Jude and Max showed up at Maggie's apartment the next afternoon with armloads of empty cardboard boxes. It didn't take long to pack up Maggie's few possessions and a couple hours later the three of them were dragging everything out of Max's taxi in front of their building. Max locked the car and stood for a moment surveying the boxes on the ground in front of the trio.

"I didn't think quite this far into the plan," he said.

Jude nodded. "Yeah, this should be interesting, mate."

Maggie looked between the two of them. "What?"

"I know you've only been here the once," Jude said sounding somewhat amused, "but did you really forget about the stairs?"

Maggie groaned as she recalled the how high up their apartment was.

Hauling the boxes up what seemed like an endless amount of stairs was probably one of the most physically demanding things Maggie had ever done; all three of their faces were shining with sweat by the time they reached their landing. But upon finally entering the apartment Maggie decided it had been well worth it. The place was more amazing than she'd remembered and Sadie gave her such a warm welcome, sweeping her into a hug the moment she walked in that Maggie immediately felt she had finally found a real home in the big city.

* * *

**Author's Note: **You probably noticed that in the song I changed "young man" to "woman" - I know they didn't really change lyrics in ATU, and I considered just leaving it alone but I thought it fit better. Hard as I tried, I couldn't picture Maggie calling herself a young man ;)

Reviews would be much appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3 Coming Together

**Author's Note: **Hi everybody! I'm finally updating! I know it took a _loooong _time, and my only defense is that real life got really busy for a while so I didn't have much time to write. But I promise I'm not abandoning this fic. Hopefully you'll all forgive me for not updating until now - as a reader I know how frustrating it is when waiting for a new chapter. I'll do my best to keep updates more frequent from now on :) Thanks again to all my lovely reviewers! You guys rock! Hope you like chapter 3!

Oh, and I may be stretching the movie's timeline a wee bit to suit my purposes; but then again the time elapsed between events isn't super clear in the movie, so maybe I'm not *shrug*

**Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, I don't own it. Across the Universe is a lovely world created by others, I'm just playing around in it.

* * *

**Chapter Three – Coming Together**

A couple weeks after moving into the Greenwich apartment Maggie was sitting on her bedroom floor, absently sifting through a stack of drawings and contemplating her current situation. She had finally gotten the nerve to quit her job at the club; the night before she had told the owner that she wouldn't be back tonight, or ever again. And while it was a huge relief to be out of there, Maggie was agonizing over the fact that she now had no source of income and unless she found another job soon she wouldn't be able to pay her share of the rent next month. Both Max and Jude had assured her that they'd cover it if she hadn't found a job by then but Maggie felt guilty about it; they'd already done so much for her, and she hated the thought of being so damn _dependant _on others.

Maggie was pulled from her thoughts by the clattering of the bead curtain which served as her bedroom door. She looked up as Max flopped lazily onto her bed. Maggie rolled her eyes as she realized that the bed which she had made so neatly a few hours ago had now been completely messed up by her friend.

"I hope you're planning on re-making that," she said, turning her attention back to the pile of sketches on the carpet.

"I'll never understand why you feel the need to make your bed every single day," Max replied. "It's not like it matters to the rest of us if it's a mess of blankets."

Maggie shook her head, smiling slightly. "Yeah, I've seen your room. I wouldn't expect you to understand."

The blankets rustled as Max rolled closer to the edge of the bed; Maggie had the distinct impression that he was intentionally messing up the bed just to get a rise out of her. Instead of giving him that satisfaction she chose to ignore his presence entirely, which lasted all of about thirty seconds until Max poked his head over her shoulder.

"Did you draw those?" he asked, peering at the pictures in Maggie's hands.

Maggie nodded, glancing up at him. "Yeah. What do you think?"

"They're awesome." Max reached out and plucked one of the papers from the floor. "I really like this one."

Maggie craned her neck to see which drawing he was holding. It was a pencil sketch she'd done about a year earlier of her brother Dave and their younger sisters Anna and Valerie. The four of them had been sitting in the backyard of their parents' house one October afternoon, the autumn leaves swirling around them in a light breeze. Maggie hadn't been able to resist drawing her siblings as they relaxed on the lawn; she remembered dashing into the house for her sketchpad while her brother teased her affectionately. Maggie now gazed at the picture with a slightly wistful smile on her face. In that moment it fully hit her just how much she missed her brother and sisters.

Max seemingly hadn't noticed Maggie's reflective mood. He was still studying the sketch. "They look really happy. Who are they?"

"My brother and sisters," Maggie replied.

Max looked into his friend's face and smiled lopsidedly. "I should have guessed. They all look a bit like you. Especially her," he said, pointing to the younger of the two girls.

"That's Valerie," Maggie said. "Everyone's always said we look a lot alike. Except her hair's way lighter than mine."

Max lowered the sketch and looked Maggie in the eyes. "You really miss them, don't you?"

"I really do. I even kind of miss my controlling, overprotective parents, believe it or not." Maggie shook her head slightly. "But enough about that. Is there any particular reason you came barging in here?"

Max slid to the floor beside her, pulling the blankets half off the bed with him; Maggie squeezed her eyes shut briefly.

"Thanks for that. Jerk."

Max grinned. "Anytime. And actually, yes, there was a reason I came in here."

"And that would be?"

"I wanted to ask if you're gonna come out with me and Jude tonight. Sadie said she'll be out for a while; I think she's auditioning guitarists."

Maggie nodded. "Yeah, she mentioned that to me earlier. And I think I'll just stay here tonight, I don't really have the money to go anywhere."

"Oh you're coming. I'm paying for you."

"No, Max."

He stood up, grabbed Maggie's hands and pulled her to her feet. "Yes. We all need to go out and celebrate the fact that you finally quit your job."

"Oh, yes please, let's go out and celebrate the fact that I'm soon-to-be penniless," Maggie said sarcastically.

Max rolled his eyes and chuckled. "You'll find another job. And when you do we'll celebrate that. But tonight we're celebrating your current joblessness. Now put on some party clothes and let's get going!"

"Fine," Maggie grumbled, giving in because she knew arguing with Max over something like this was no good; she almost always lost. She crossed the room and began rummaging through the small closet trying to find something to wear, eventually settling on a white peasant blouse and a pair of bell bottom jeans on which she had sewn a number of brightly coloured patches. Maggie tossed the clothes onto the bed and turned to begin getting changed, jumping slightly when she realized Max was still in the room. He was leaning against the small desk in the corner, arms folded over his chest and smirking.

Maggie picked up a pillow from the bed and threw it at him; it struck him in the chest and fell to the floor. "Get out," she said grinning.

Laughing, Max retrieved the pillow from the ground and lobbed it back at Maggie who, having been fully expecting it to come flying back at her, caught it easily. She raised her arm ready to chuck it at him again and Max laughed even harder, lifting his hands in surrender.

"I'm going! No need for all the violence."

Maggie smiled as Max left the room, setting the beads rattling again. After changing her clothes and putting on some bright beaded necklaces in addition to the silver four-leaf clover pendant she always wore she ran a brush through her long wavy hair and slipped on a pair of red tennis shoes. Parting the beaded curtain she left her bedroom and wandered down the hall to the living room, whatever room where she found Jude and Max lounging on the couch. Both men jumped up when Maggie entered, each of them taking one of her arms and practically dragging her out of the apartment as if afraid she'd change her mind if they didn't get her out of there fast enough.

***

Several hours and many, many drinks later Maggie, Jude and Max ambled up the stairs to the apartment, laughing at each other when they stumbled, which was happening more often than any of them would like to admit. They finally made it onto their landing where Max tripped and crashed into the door, causing both Jude and Maggie to double up with laughter. Max began to chuckle himself, until the door on which he was leaning was opened from the inside and he toppled over into the apartment. At this Maggie and Jude laughed so hard they clutched the railing for support.

Sadie looked from Max, sprawled clumsily at her feet, to Jude and Maggie laughing their asses off in the hall and a grin spread across her face.

"Had a few, have you?"

Maggie and Jude both nodded as their laughter began to subside; Max just groaned from the floor.

Sadie chortled, glancing back down at Max for a moment before addressing Jude and Maggie. "Get him up and come on in here; we've got a new tenant."

Maggie and Jude shared a curious glance as Sadie disappeared back into the apartment, then the pair turned their attention to Max, who hadn't even bothered to sit up.

"Right mate, you can't just stay there all night," Jude chuckled, grasping Max's hand and hauling him to his feet; the blond overbalanced a little and Maggie caught his arm, snorting with laughter as she steadied him.

"How much did you drink, man?" she asked smirking.

Max swung his arm over her shoulders for support as he sauntered into the apartment. "'M not really sure," he slurred.

Maggie giggled as she steered him towards the living room, Jude following behind them. Upon entering the room they found Sadie sitting on the couch with a man whom she introduced as Jojo, her new guitarist. Jude joined them on the couch and Max flopped down in the nearest armchair, dragging Maggie with him as his arm was still around her shoulders. Maggie landed awkwardly on Max's lap; she moved to get up but was drawn back when her friend's arms snaked around her waist.

Maggie shot him a quizzical look over her shoulder. Max just grinned lopsidedly, leaning back in the chair and pulling Maggie snugly against his chest as one of his hands slid to rest on her hip.

"What are you doing?" she muttered, trying not to draw the others' attention, though she may as well not have bothered; Sadie and Jude were watching with mildly confused expressions while Jojo just looked amused.

"What?" Max replied, shrugging.

Maggie rolled her eyes, trying to reason with her very drunk friend. "There's plenty of other places for me to sit, Max," she said firmly.

"So?" he said, resting his chin on her shoulder.

Sighing in frustration Maggie wriggled out of his grasp and slid to the floor to sit at his feet. She decided to ignore what had just happened and began talking to Jojo; the others followed her lead and didn't mention anything, though Sadie looked as though she wanted to. Had Maggie not been listening so intently to the story Jojo was telling, she would have seen Jude shake his head slightly and shoot Max a pointed look.

The group sat and talked for an hour or two before Maggie and Jude both began yawning and decided to head off to bed. Sadie and Jojo agreed and the four stood up, stretching tiredly. Maggie turned to see Max passed out in his chair, his mouth slightly open; as she watched he let out a muffled snore. Shaking her head amusedly she grabbed a blanket from the couch and draped it over him before heading to her room and collapsing into bed.

***

The next day Maggie was awoken by rays of extraordinarily bright sunshine streaming in through the bedroom window; evidently she had neglected to close the curtains before crawling into bed the previous night. She turned over and glanced at the clock on the nightstand, groaning when she found that it was a little before ten. Wrapped snugly in a blanket Maggie rolled out of bed and onto the floor with a muffled thud, where she sat for a moment glaring at the sun shining cheerily through the window.

Now that she was awake Maggie became aware of the fact that her stomach felt extremely empty. She struggled to her feet, still tightly wrapped in the blanket, and shuffled into the kitchen.

Once there it became obvious that no one else in the apartment was awake yet; as she pulled a box of Cap'n Crunch from the cupboard Maggie mused that she'd never heard the place this quiet. The only sounds she could hear as she poured herself a bowl of cereal were birds chirping and the faint noise of traffic from the street far below.

That is, until a grunting snore issued from the living room.

Maggie stifled a giggle as she remembered leaving Max passed out in an armchair the night before. She adjusted her blanket, draping it over her shoulders, picked up her breakfast from the counter and tiptoed into the living room.

Max was sprawled in the chair, one leg hanging over the side and his shaggy blond head resting on his shoulder. Maggie grinned as she curled up on the couch and studied him while munching on her breakfast; she polished off the cereal within minutes and set the bowl on the coffee table. Max sighed in his sleep and Maggie thought how much she'd like to sketch him like this, completely natural and peaceful.

Just as she was standing up to sneak off and grab her sketchpad Max mumbled something unintelligible and opened his clear blue eyes.

Maggie flopped back onto the couch feeling a little disappointed, but she figured she'd get another chance for the sketch; Max was bound to pass out in the living room again at some point.

Maggie smirked at her friend as he groaned and squinted in the bright sunlight. "Hey there Drunky," she teased. "How you feeling this fine morning?"

Covering his head with the blanket Max muttered a response which Maggie couldn't quite decipher, but which she imagined to be a string of profanity. She grinned at the blanket-covered lump curled up in the armchair.

"Nursing a wicked hangover, are you?"

Again, Max uttered a muffled reply which sounded an awful lot like 'holy hell'. Maggie took that as a 'yes' and shook her head, torn between amusement and sympathy.

"Aw, poor Maxy, want me to get you some coffee?"

The blanketed lump seemed to nod its head and mumbled what sounded like "nd aspn".

Maggie frowned for a moment and then it clicked. "Coffee and aspirin, coming right up."

As she grabbed her empty cereal bowl and stood up, a "fank oo" issued from under the blanket making Maggie laugh quietly. In the kitchen she put her bowl in the sink then poured two mugs of coffee; she left one black for Max and dumped half a ton of sugar into the other for herself. Leaving the mugs on the counter for a moment she dashed into the bathroom for a bottle of aspirin, which she located after a moment's rummaging in the disorganized cupboard. She tipped two pills into her hand, retrieved the coffee from the kitchen counter and returned to the living room, where Max was still hiding under his blanket.

"Hey Hangover Boy, I'm back," she said, sitting on the end of the couch nearest Max.

A corner of the blanket lowered and one blue eye peeked out at her. Sighing amusedly Maggie set down the mugs and pills on the coffee table and crossed the room, pulling the curtains closed. "Better?" she asked, resuming her seat.

Max nodded, letting the blanket slide off his face; sitting up straighter he scooped up the two aspirin and swallowed them with a hearty swing of coffee; a second later he grimaced in disgust. "Whoa, what the hell did you do to this coffee!?"

"Sorry! You must've grabbed mine." Maggie swapped the mugs and took a sip of the sweetened liquid, sighing contentedly and closing her eyes. When she opened them Max was still staring at her with a mildly appalled look on his face.

"What'd you do, put a whole sugar plantation in there?"

Maggie stuck her tongue out at him. "No. Just half."

Max's eyes shone with amusement as he took a long drink. "Well, now we know who's single-handedly keeping the sugar industry afloat."

"Shut up. Just because you're hung over doesn't mean I won't hurt you."

"Who's hurting who now?"

Max and Maggie glanced up to see Jude enter the room and flop down on the far end of the couch.

"I might have to hurt Max for being a smart ass," Maggie replied.

"Ah." Jude nodded. "He probably deserves it."

Maggie snorted with laughter and Max scowled at the Brit over the rim of his mug.

"Now who's the ass?" Max muttered, making his friends grin.

"Well," said Maggie, draining the last of her coffee and standing up, "if you can look after Captain Hangover here I'm going to shower."

"Sure, I think I can handle that," Jude replied as Max groaned.

"Okay, Mom and Dad, I don't need a babysitter."

Jude and Maggie exchanged a playful glance. "I beg to differ," Maggie teased, ducking out of the room before Max could reply.

Laughing at the look on his friend's face, Jude propped his feet on the coffee table and watched as Max finished his coffee. When the blond set his empty mug on the table he noticed Jude looking at him with an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face.

"What?"

Jude took his feet off the coffee table and leaned forward, glancing over his shoulder before answering.

"What the hell was that last night?"

Now Max was doubly confused. "Man, what're you talking about?"

Jude rolled his eyes. "You really don't know what I mean?"

Max shrugged, his hangover combined with Jude's vagueness making him cranky. "No," he said impatiently.

"Maggie."

"What about her?" Max asked.

"You can't mess around with her like you did last night, mate," Jude said seriously. "She isn't some strange girl you can take to bed and forget about the next day."

Max's eyes widened. "I never – "

Cutting off Max's outraged protest Jude continued calmly. "She's our friend. Our _damaged _friend, even if she doesn't show it and we don't ever talk about what happened to her. I know you were drunk, but you started gettin' kinda grabby, mate."

Max sat in silence for a long moment as he realized that Jude was right. It was so easy to forget what Maggie had been through on the night they met her, as she never spoke of it and the rest of them followed her lead. Maggie was always so happy and animated when she was around him, or Jude, or Sadie, but Max suddenly found himself wondering how much she was hiding from them. And he felt horrible for not even giving it a thought before now.

Finally Max raised his eyes to meet Jude's gaze. "D'you think I should apologize to her?"

Jude thought for a moment, and then shook his head slightly. "No, she doesn't seem to be bothered by it and if she still doesn't want to talk about that night we shouldn't force her. Just don't let it happen again, yeah?"

Max nodded. "Yeah."

***

A few nights later a few people were hanging around the apartment; Maggie wandered through the place sipping a beer; she grinned as she passed the table, where Max was telling a story to some of their hippie friends. Making her way to a somewhat quieter corner of the apartment Maggie found Jude and Jojo sitting together, the latter strumming absently on his guitar. The two men glanced up as she sat cross-legged on the floor next to Jude.

"Coming to join the sane people, are you?" Jude grinned as a particularly loud burst of laughter came from the group in the next room.

Maggie smiled back as she dug a cigarette out of her pocket. "Sure am. Sometimes they're a bit much for me."

Jude nodded. "Yeah I know what you mean, love. Wild lot, they are."

"Either of you have a light?" Maggie asked, having searched all her pockets and come up empty. Jojo reached into his pocket and tossed her a book of matches. "Thanks Jo," she said, striking one and lighting her cigarette. Maggie smirked as she imagined what her parents would say if they saw her at this moment: sitting in a quirky apartment drinking beer and smoking, in the company of hippies, runaways, musicians and artists and other 'dubious sorts of people' as her mother would put it.

Shaking the amusing thought out of her head Maggie tuned back in to Jude and Jojo's conversation.

"D'you write your own songs, Jojo?" Jude was asking.

Without looking up from his guitar Jojo answered, "Got twenty in a notebook; another ten in my head."

Maggie smiled. "Leave room for anything else?"

"Music's the only thing makes sense anymore, man. Play it loud enough, it keeps the demons at bay." He plucked the guitar strings gently, singing quietly, _"Come together…"_

Suddenly a loud clattering got their attention; all three looked up to see a young woman clamber over the bathroom windowsill and land on the tile floor, dripping wet.

Jude grinned lopsidedly. "Hello, hello. Who are you?"

The girl emerged shyly from the bathroom. "Prudence."

"Where you from, Prudence?" asked Jojo.

She sighed. "Nowhere."

Maggie recognized a fellow runaway at once. "Oh, and uh, before nowhere?"

Prudence rolled her eyes, one of which had been blackened. "Ohio. Then I was living with this guy across the street…"

"Did he do that to you?" Jojo asked, pointing at the purple bruising on her face.

"He was a mistake."

Just then Sadie entered the room, looking a bit confused as she saw Prudence dripping water onto the floor. "Where'd she come from?"

"She came in through the bathroom window," Jude answered, handing Prudence a towel.

* * *

**AN: **Review please?


	4. Chapter 4 Pools of Sorrow

**Author's Note: **Hello again everyone! Thanks very much to everybody who took the time to review; you're all wonderful and I love hearing what you think! I'm really glad you seem to enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. Hopefully you'll like this chapter, it's a lot sadder and more serious than the previous ones. It was kind of hard for me to write and I hope it doesn't come across as too...well, I don't know, but I hope you think it's okay.

Also, I thought I should let you all know that the next update probably won't be for a while, as I'm going on vacation for a couple weeks starting Friday and most likely won't be writing much while I'm away. I will however try to get the next chapter written fairly quickly after I get back. Anyways, on with chapter 4! Hope you like it!

**Disclaimer: **I only wish I owned the brilliance that is Across the Universe. Songs are property of the amazing Beatles.

* * *

**Chapter Four – Pools of Sorrow**

Maggie sat curled in an armchair in the living room, her sketchpad on her lap and a piece of charcoal in her hand; glancing up from the paper at her subject she smiled at the passion on Jojo's face as he played his guitar. She added a few finishing touches to the sketch and signed the bottom of the page with a flourish as the phone began to ring in the kitchen.

"There," she said, "it's done Jo." She handed the drawing to the guitarist and he studied it for a moment, grinning.

"You've got some real talent, girl."

A faint blush crept into Maggie's cheeks. "Thanks. But some of the credit goes to you – you're a good subject."

"Maggie!" Jude called from the kitchen. "Phone for you, love."

Maggie stood up, wiping the charcoal from her hands on her jeans. She shared a confused glance with Jojo before padding barefoot into the kitchen, where Jude was holding the phone in one hand and covering the mouthpiece with the other.

"Who is it?" Maggie asked, puzzled; she'd never once received a phone call here – anyone who might think to call her lived with her.

"Apparently it's your dad," Jude replied, handing over the phone.

Maggie took the phone hesitantly, as if it were a bomb waiting to go off. "Hello?"

"_Margaret?"_

Maggie winced inwardly at the use of her full name. "Hi Dad."

"_Are you living with a man?" _Her father sounded horrified at the thought that Maggie might have shacked up with some guy.

"Actually, Dad, I'm living with three of them," Maggie said smoothly, taking a second to enjoy the strangled noise on the other end of the line before she continued. "And two women, don't worry we're all just friends."

"_Oh. Well. Fine."_ Her father cleared his throat nervously. Fear settled in Maggie's stomach; her father was rarely nervous.

"Dad? Not that it's not nice to hear from you, but why are you calling?"

Maggie waited anxiously for a few tense moments of silence before her father answered.

"_Honey, it's about your brother…"_

The colour drained from Maggie's face and she clutched the phone tighter, her knuckles turning white. "What happened, Daddy?" she whispered, dreading the answer.

All Maggie heard through the earpiece was a muffled sob, and at that moment she knew the worst had happened. She staggered backwards into the wall and felt as if the world was collapsing around her.

"No."

"_I'm sorry, sweetheart. He's d-"_

"NO!" Maggie half screamed as tears welled up in her eyes. "NO!"

Alerted by her shout, the others had gathered in the doorway to the kitchen and were all staring at Maggie with looks of shock and concern. But she didn't notice; all Maggie's attention was focused elsewhere.

"_The funeral is next week,"_ her father was saying through his own tears. By this time Maggie was crying, tears streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't respond to her dad; she couldn't seem to form words, or thoughts. The phone slipped from her limp hand as she slid to the floor where she broke down completely, sobs ripping harshly through her body.

Max and Jude immediately knelt on either side of her; Sadie grabbed the phone and began to converse with Maggie's father in a hushed voice, hanging up after a few moments. Jojo and Prudence, who had not known Maggie for nearly as long as the other three had, hung back, not having any idea what might have happened.

Sadie, whose own eyes were glistening with tears after speaking with Maggie's father, quietly informed Prudence and Jojo what was wrong; then she crouched on the floor in front of the weeping girl and took Maggie's hand in hers. Jude and Max glanced at her enquiringly, and when Sadie nodded sadly their suspicions were confirmed. The three of them glanced up as Jojo and Prudence knelt on the floor as well, Prudence holding out a box of tissues. Jude took one and dabbed gently at Maggie's tear-streaked face.

Maggie was vaguely aware of the warm press of her friends' bodies around her, their comforting arms around her shoulders, someone's hands clutching hers, and someone tenderly mopping up her tears as she wept; but all she could think about was Dave. She couldn't believe she would never see her beloved brother again.

No one really had any idea how long they sat huddled on the kitchen floor, but slowly Maggie's sobs subsided and they realized she had cried herself to sleep. Sadie, Max, Jojo and Prudence stood up, stretching. Jude remained where he was, as Maggie was leaning against him, her head on his shoulder. Shifting slowly to his knees, Jude gently lifted his sleeping friend in his arms and got to his feet, being careful not to wake her. Then he carried her down the hall and backed through the bead curtain into her bedroom; Max followed and pulled back the covers so Jude could place Maggie in the bed.

Jude brushed a soft kiss on Maggie's forehead and left the room as Max covered her with the blankets. He gently swept her hair off her face and kissed her on the cheek, before tiptoeing out of the bedroom and leaving her to sleep.

***

When Maggie awoke late the next morning she couldn't immediately recall why she felt so depressed; then the nightmarish truth came rushing back and tears sprang to her eyes.

David. Dead.

_Oh, God._

Maggie suddenly felt nauseous and she sprang up from bed and bolted to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Collapsing to her knees in front of the toilet she emptied the contents of her stomach into the porcelain bowl, shaking violently, tears and sweat mingling on her face.

She remained sitting with her head suspended over the toilet bowl for another couple minutes, until she was certain the queasiness had passed. Once she determined she wasn't going to throw up again, Maggie got shakily to her feet, flushing the toilet, and stumbled over to the sink where she splashed some cool water on her face and hastily brushed her teeth.

As she finished up someone knocked softly on the bathroom door.

"Maggie?"

It was Max. "Can I come in?"

Maggie nodded, then realized that Max couldn't see her. "Yeah," she called hoarsely, lowering herself to the floor and leaning her back up against the bathtub.

The door opened just wide enough for Max to slip through, closing as soon as he was inside.

He gazed at her for a brief moment, then, without a word, sat down beside her and pulled her into a hug.

That was all it took to make Maggie burst into a fresh batch of tears. She clung to Max, sobbing, and he tightened his arms around her, stroking her hair and back soothingly. He wished there was something he could say to comfort her; but no words came to mind – none that didn't seem hollow and cliché, that is.

So the pair sat for a few minutes in silence, except for the sound of Maggie's weeping.

Gradually, Maggie's sobs quieted and she raised her head from Max's chest; he was struck by the depth of the sadness in her tear-filled emerald eyes.

"Hey there darling," he said softly. Keeping his eyes on hers, Max lifted a hand to her cheek and gently wiped away her tears with his thumb.

Maggie closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, sniffling quietly.

"Oh, God, Max…" she whispered.

Removing his hand from her face, Max wrapped both arms around her and pulled her close, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm so sorry, Maggie."

"Thanks," she replied quietly, her voice slightly muffled by Max's chest. "How could this happen?"

Max figured the question was rhetorical, but he still whispered, "I don't know."

"It's not fair."

"I know it's not." Max resumed gently rubbing Maggie's back.

They sat quietly for a while longer, Maggie feeling somewhat comforted simply by Max's presence. She eventually lifted her head from his shoulder, her tears having dried up for the time being, and looked up into Max's sympathetic face.

"What's up?" he whispered.

Maggie frowned, trying to focus on something other than her crushing misery for a second. She sighed. "This tile floor is making my ass hurt," she said expressionlessly.

Max blinked in surprise at her answer; then he smiled slightly. "Well. I can fix that." He stood up, his arms still around Maggie, lifting her to her feet with him.

"Thanks," she said, hugging Max tightly. "Really. Thank you."

"Anytime, sweetheart," Max replied, resting his chin on top of her head. "You feel up to leaving the bathroom?"

Maggie nodded. "I think so. Yeah."

"Good," said Max, pulling away slightly but keeping an arm around her shoulders. "The others are pretty worried about you."

***

Later that night, after having spent the majority of the day curled in a ball on the couch, Maggie found herself at the kitchen table with a piping hot bowl of chicken soup in front of her; this was the result of much persuasion and prodding from her friends. Maggie probably wouldn't have moved from the couch if it had been left up to her –which, of course, it wasn't.

Upon realizing that Maggie hadn't eaten anything in about thirty-six hours, Sadie and Prudence whipped up a pot of soup, hoping that it would convince her to move; when that failed, Jude plucked Maggie off the couch and deposited her in the kitchen chair in which she now sat. Jude was currently sitting across the table from her, eating his own bowl of soup and watching his friend with unmasked concern.

"Maggie, please, please eat the soup," Jude begged. "You're gonna get sick if you starve yourself."

His tone stuck a chord with Maggie; he was genuinely worried about her. She realized belatedly that they all were, her friends were there trying to help her, and she'd been shutting them out since she'd emerged from the bathroom that morning. Hardly a word had left her mouth since her conversation with Max.

Maggie sighed softly and picked up her spoon.

Once the first spoonful hit her tongue Maggie became aware that she was absolutely ravenous, and she polished off half the soup before slowing down and glancing up.

Jude was watching her with relief written all over his face. "That's better," he sighed.

"Sorry, Jude," Maggie said softly. "I didn't mean to freak you out."

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it, love. I know it's hard. But we're all here for you, y'know."

Maggie nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Jude reached across the table and covered Maggie's hand with his. "Anything you need," he said, giving her hand a squeeze.

"Thanks."

The pair sat in silence for a few moments.

"Hey Jude."

"Yeah?"

"Say it. Whatever you're not saying, just say it."

Jude smiled slightly as he saw a bit of Maggie's usual self peek through her grief. "Alright. When are you going home for the…funeral?"

"I don't know," Maggie sighed sadly. "I hadn't really thought about it. Actually, come to think of it, I don't know exactly when it is. I should call my parents…"

"No need. Last night after you…well, Sadie talked to your dad. It's on Tuesday."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"In four days."

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"Look, we don't have to talk about this…"

Maggie shook her head. "No, its okay. I can't pretend it isn't real, right?"

"Right."

"I guess I'll catch a train in a day or two," Maggie said, her voice quavering a bit. "Can't say I'm eager to get back there."

Jude stood up and circled the table to sit at Maggie's side, placing an arm around her shoulders. "I bet."

Silence fell over them again. They heard the front door of the apartment open, and moments later the sound of someone entering the kitchen made the two friends glance over their shoulders.

"Hey mate," Jude said as Max took a seat across from them.

"Hey," Max replied. He looked at Maggie. "You ate."

"I did."

"I'm glad. I was starting to think you'd never leave the couch."

Maggie looked guilty. "Yeah…sorry about that."

"It's okay. I get it. I'm just relieved you're up and about again."

"So am I," Jude added, tightening his arm around Maggie's shoulders.

"Thanks, you guys," Maggie whispered.

Jude gave Maggie's shoulders one last squeeze and stood up. "I think I'll get a bit of work done before bed." He looked down at Maggie. "You gonna be alright?"

"I'll stay with her," Max replied before Maggie had time to answer.

The ghost of a smile flickered across Maggie's face for the first time since the previous afternoon. "Go on, Jude. Max will take care of me."

"Right then. 'Night," said Jude, exiting the kitchen.

"You finished eating?" Max asked.

Maggie nodded. "Yeah."

Max stood up and came to stand at Maggie's side, extending a hand, which she took, letting Max pull her to her feet. He kept his hand wrapped around hers as they went into the whatever room and sat on the couch. The apartment was oddly quiet; evidently the others had left some time ago, though Maggie wasn't sure when. The notion that Sadie and Jojo probably had a gig tonight floated into her mind and the silent apartment suddenly made sense.

"Max?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really sorry."

Max pulled away slightly so he could see Maggie's face. "What? _Why_ would you be sorry?"

"Because I went catatonic and freaked everybody out," Maggie replied, biting her bottom lip.

"Oh, Maggie," Max sighed. "You had every reason."

"I guess, but…"

Max shook his head. "No buts. If I were you I'd probably still be curled up in bed."

"You forgive me?"

Maggie's eyes were swimming with tears again, and Max pulled her into a hug. "Of course I do."

"Thank you, Max," Maggie whispered.

"You're welcome. Is there anything I can get you?"

"No. I think I just want to go to bed."

Max nodded. "Okay. Let's go." He took Maggie's hand again and the pair got to their feet, went down the hall and clattered through the beads into Maggie's room.

Having spent the entire day in her pyjamas Maggie simply crawled into her for-once-unmade bed and lay down. Max pulled the covers over her and brushed a hand over her hair.

"Goodnight, Maggie," he whispered, turning to go. Max reached the doorway and flicked off the light, and was about to leave when he heard Maggie softly call his name.

He turned back. "Yeah?"

"Would you stay with me? I just really don't want to be alone right now."

"Sure I will," Max replied, returning to the bed. He kicked off his shoes and tossed his hat to the floor, then hesitated a moment, wondering whether or not it was appropriate to remove his jeans.

Maggie sensed his dilemma and said, "Go ahead. You'll be more comfortable."

Max hesitated for another second before stripping down to his boxer shorts and t-shirt. He then climbed into the bed next to Maggie; she snuggled close to him and Max slung an arm across her shoulders. A moment later he felt her hot tears begin to soak through his shirt.

"Hey now, shhh," he whispered soothingly, but Maggie continued to shake with silent sobs. Max began to hum the melody of a half-forgotten lullaby his mother used to sing when he was a child; soon the words came back to him and he started to sing softly.

"_Now it's time to say goodnight_

_Goodnight sleep tight_

_Now the sun turns out his light_

_Goodnight sleep tight_

_Dream sweet dreams for me_

_Dream sweet dreams for you_

_Close your eyes and I'll close mine_

_Goodnight sleep tight_

_Now the moon begins to shine_

_Goodnight sleep tight_

_Dream sweet dreams for me_

_Dream sweet dreams for you_

_Close your eyes and I'll close mine_

_Goodnight sleep tight_

_Now the sun turns out his light_

_Goodnight sleep tight_

_Dream sweet dreams for me_

_Dream sweet dreams for you"_

Max glanced at Maggie; she was asleep. "Goodnight," he whispered, closing his eyes.

* * *

**AN: **Well, there it is. For the record, I have absolutely _no idea_ how long it takes for the body of a fallen soldier to make it back home, as I've never actually known anyone who has gone to war, let alone come back deceased. So I basically just picked a number and went with it. If it seems to be horribly, horribly wrong to anyone, please let me know and I'll fix it. Thanks.

Review? Please? :)


	5. Chapter 5 Hour of Darkness

**Author's Note: **Hey all!! I know, I know, I took forever to update again. Sorry. But this is a super long chapter (17 whole pages in Microsoft Word!) so I hope that makes up for the long wait and will make you all forgive me. As always, thank you to everyone who has stuck with me this far, and a big special thank you to all those who have reviewed and added me to story/author alerts - you all make me feel so awesome! You rock!

I've been trying to keep close to the spirit of the movie as much as possible, and in doing so I've been thinking up Beatles references to put in here and I've got a couple that I think are pretty decent. Ten points to anyone who can tell me why these two things are significant: 1) Maggie's birthday 2) The name of Maggie's hometown.

Hope you all like this chapter!

**Disclaimer: **Anything recognizable isn't mine. I only own my original characters. The rest is the property of The Beatles and Julie Taymor.

* * *

**Chapter Five – Hour of Darkness**

Monday morning found Maggie in her bedroom staring into an empty suitcase. She knew she had to pack, but couldn't quite bring herself to do it; she felt that, somehow, packing to go back for her brother's funeral would make the whole horrific situation _real_ in a way that it hadn't been up to this point.

And so she stared into the suitcase.

That was how Sadie found her a few minutes later. The singer was passing by in the hallway and happened to glance through the bead curtain, seeing Maggie standing motionlessly in the middle of the tiny bedroom. Sadie stopped and gazed at her for a moment, waiting to see if her friend would do anything. She didn't. Deciding that Maggie might need some help she parted the curtain and entered.

The clattering of the beads shattered Maggie's trance and she looked up to see her landlady enter her bedroom.

"Hey darling," Sadie said, coming to stand beside Maggie.

"Hi," Maggie replied expressionlessly.

"What's the matter, hon?"

Maggie resumed her staring contest with the suitcase. "I can't do it."

"Can't do what?"

"Pack."

"Why not?"

Maggie shrugged. "I dunno…I guess its like, if I do, then it's all really real, and I have to go to the funeral, and…I can't."

"Oh, Maggie," Sadie sighed, putting an arm around her friend's shoulders, "I know it's hard. But whether you go or not, it's real. And honey, as difficult as it'll be, I know you'll regret it if you don't go."

Maggie heaved a deep sigh. "I know you're right Sadie. It's just…will you help me?"

Sadie gave Maggie a squeeze. "Of course I will. Anything particular you need to take with you?"

"No," Maggie replied, sitting on the edge of the bed next to the open suitcase. "Just whatever you choose is fine."

Sadie began sifting through the closet, pulling a small selection of shirts off their hangers. "How long you gonna be gone?"

Maggie shrugged. "No more than a few days. I'll probably come back pretty much right after."

"Alright." Sadie placed the shirts in the suitcase, along with a couple pairs of jeans and a pair of sneakers. Socks, undergarments and pyjamas soon followed. She topped off the pile with Maggie's hairbrush, makeup and toothbrush, and then stood back. "How's that?"

Maggie glanced at the contents of the suitcase and nodded. "That's fine. Thank you so much Sadie."

"You're welcome, honey," Sadie replied, snapping the case shut. "Anything else you need?"

"No, thanks, I think I'm okay now."

"Okay then. I'll say goodbye now, hon, Jojo and I have to get to rehearsal, and I'm guessing you'll be gone before we get back?"

Maggie nodded.

Sadie drew Maggie into a tight hug. "Be strong, Maggie. You'll get through this," she whispered, planting a kiss on Maggie's cheek before pulling away.

"Thanks Sadie," Maggie said shakily, just as Jojo's voice floated to their ears from the living room, saying they were going to be late. Maggie smiled faintly. "Go on."

Sadie gave Maggie's hand one last squeeze before she swept from the room, setting the beads rattling.

Maggie sighed and picked up the suitcase, grabbing her coat from the desk chair as she left her bedroom. The whatever room was deserted when she got there, but upon poking her head into the kitchen she located Max, Jude and Prudence sitting around the table. They all glanced up when she entered and sat heavily in a vacant chair next to Max, dropping her suitcase on the floor and her head onto the table with a loud thunk.

"Ow."

She felt a hand on her back, and heard Max's voice. "How're you doing?"

"Now my head hurts, on top of everything else."

"Are you ready for me to take you to the train station?"

Maggie sighed loudly and lifted her head. "Yeah, I guess so."

Max gave her a sympathetic look as he stood and picked up her suitcase. Prudence and Jude sandwiched Maggie in a tight hug, the Brit also planting a quick kiss on the top of her head. They both murmured goodbyes and words of comfort as they pulled away and let Maggie be led from the apartment by Max.

The pair descended the stairs in silence and exited onto the bustling street, where Max's taxi was parked. The blond opened the trunk and placed the suitcase inside before opening the passenger door and gently guiding Maggie inside the car, rightly suspecting that she wouldn't be able to do it on her own; to Maggie each small task seemed like taking another step closer to a world where her brother no longer existed.

Max circled the car and situated himself comfortably behind the steering wheel; he turned the key in the ignition and the taxi roared to life. As he pulled slowly away from the curb he watched Maggie from the corner of his eye – she tensed and twitched her hand as if struggling to keep it from grasping the door handle. Without taking his eyes off the road Max reached over and placed his hand over hers, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Maggie turned her gaze to her friend, and when Max glanced over at her he found gratitude written all over her face. He smiled reassuringly at her. "Going somewhere?"

Maggie flashed him the ghost of a smile. "Not anymore." Silence descended upon them once more as Maggie flipped her hand and curled her fingers around Max's.

Max felt a jolt in the pit of his stomach, but it was gone as suddenly as it appeared, and he paid it no mind. They drove the rest of the way to the train station in comfortable silence, only letting go of each other's hands when Max parked the car and they got out. He grabbed the suitcase from the trunk and walked with Maggie into the station. Max hung back slightly as Maggie bought her ticket.

"We've got some time to wait," she said, returning to his side.

He nodded and glanced at their surroundings. "Okay. You want to get something to eat?" Max gestured behind him to a small café.

"Maybe just some coffee," Maggie replied. "I don't know if I could eat right now."

Max nodded again. "Right."

They sat down across from each other at a tiny table and ordered two coffees when the cranky-looking waitress came over. She returned moments later with two steaming cups and the bill, which Max scooped up before Maggie had a chance to think.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"It looks like you're doing what you always do."

"And what would that be?"

Maggie sighed exasperatedly. "_Max._"

Far from feeling reprimanded as he was obviously supposed to, Max grinned lopsidedly and continued the argument, glad to have succeeded in taking Maggie's mind off her sorrow for a moment or two. "I don't _always_ do anything."

"Yes, you do. You _and_ Jude. You're both always trying to pay for things for me."

Max shook his head slightly. "Not always – I didn't try to pay for your train ticket, did I?"

"Oh my God."

Max grinned at her frustrated tone; it had been too long since he'd heard her voice anything but sad. And besides that he always enjoyed their good-natured bickering.

"Would you please let _me_ pay for _you_ just once?"

"Nope."

Maggie let out an unintelligible growl of frustration that may or may not have been a curse word. "You're impossible!"

"So I've been told."

"Many times by many people, I'm sure," Maggie said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, obviously."

Maggie tilted her head to one side and gazed at Max through narrowed eyes. "Did you take lessons on how to annoy people, or is it just a natural talent?"

Max chuckled. "The lessons perfected the natural talent."

Maggie's face broke out into the first full-blown smile Max had seen upon it in days. She even laughed a little. _Mission accomplished,_ Max thought.

"I've missed that," he muttered without thinking.

"Missed what?"

Max cleared his throat and looked at his now empty coffee cup, kind of embarrassed that she'd heard. "You laughing," he replied, avoiding eye contact.

"Max."

He shyly raised his eyes to meet hers – one of the few times he had ever looked at a woman _shyly_ – and found her gazing at him with a strange look on her face, biting her lower lip.

"Yeah?"

"I didn't realize how much all this had affected you. I'm sorry."

Max squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. "Oh Maggie," he sighed, opening his eyes. "No."

"No what?"

"You don't get to be sorry right now. It doesn't matter how this has made me feel. Or anyone else. All that matters right now is you."

Suddenly Maggie found her eyes filling with tears for what felt like the thousandth time in the last week. But for the first time in days they weren't tears of sadness; she was so touched by Max's simple words that she couldn't help it.

"Oh Max," she said, her voice wavering. "You're so…I just…" She stood up and circled the table, flinging her arms around his neck. He slipped his arms around her waist and gently pulled her down onto his lap; the brunette buried her face in his shoulder.

After a moment Maggie recovered herself and lifted her head, her green eyes meeting Max's blue ones. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Max lifted a hand to wipe away her tears with his thumb, smiling softly as he did so. "You'll never have to find out," he assured her.

Maggie opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by an announcement over the loudspeaker:

_The 1:15 train with service to Pennsylvania is now boarding at platform six._

"That's me," Maggie sighed, standing up. Max also stood once Maggie was off his lap; he picked up her suitcase, wound his free arm around her shoulders, and guided her out of the café onto the bustling platform.

They were caught up in a wave of people also headed for platform six, and once there the pair hung back slightly, waiting for the huge rush of people to board the train. Max removed his arm from Maggie's shoulders and turned to face her, taking her hand and looking her straight in the eyes.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want me to come with you?" he asked for the third time in as many days.

Maggie shook her head. "I'm sure, Max. Thank you so much, but I'll have my sisters for support once I get there. And despite the circumstances my parents would probably hit the roof if I showed up with a guy," she said with a smile. She hugged Max tightly and rose onto her toes to kiss his cheek. "I'll see you when I get back."

Max put his arms around her waist, hugging her close. "And I'll be right here waiting when you get back."

"Thank you, Max," Maggie whispered, taking the suitcase from him as she took a step back. A final boarding call issued over the loudspeaker. "I gotta go."

Max nodded. "Yeah. Take care of yourself."

"I will. Don't get into too much trouble while I'm gone."

Max grinned as he leaned in and kissed her cheek. "I promise."

After one last quick hug Maggie hurried onto the train just before the conductor closed the door. Max remained standing on the platform, waiting to see the train pull out of the station; as he watched Maggie's face appeared at the nearest window. She gave him a little wave, which he returned as the train chugged slowly away from the platform.

***

For most of the trip Maggie dozed with her head propped against the window, soothed by the steady noise of the train. The sky outside began darkening as the train wound its way through the countryside, and it was almost fully dark by the time an announcement woke Maggie from her light slumber.

_Attention passengers: the next stop is Speke, Pennsylvania. For all passengers continuing beyond Speke, dinner will be served in the dining car once we have left the station._

Maggie sat upright and stretched her stiff neck. _This is it,_ she thought sadly. _I can't believe I'm back here._

As the train pulled into the station, Maggie felt a nervous fluttering in her stomach; in a few minutes she would have to face her parents for the first time since she'd run away. How would they receive her? How would they react? What would they say? Would they yell? Cry? Act as if nothing had happened? Maggie had no answers to the multitude of questions running through her mind, and before she knew it the train had come to a stop and people were exiting. Maggie stood slowly and joined the flow of disembarking passengers.

The cold night air hit her like a slap to the face as she stepped from the warmth of the train car onto the platform. As the crowd of people around her dispersed somewhat Maggie glanced around for familiar faces; seconds later she heard someone call her name and turned to see her sister Anna hurrying towards her, arms outstretched. Maggie quickly closed the distance between them and hugged her sister tightly.

After a moment Maggie pulled back slightly so she could see her sister's face, keeping her arms around her. There were tears in both sisters' eyes. Maggie stifled a sob as Anna kissed her on the cheek.

"I've missed you Mags," she said.

Maggie pulled Anna close again. "I've missed you, too," she whispered.

At the sound of a throat clearing loudly and deliberately, the sisters looked up. Their father was standing a few feet away, looking at them with an odd expression on his face.

Anna leaned close to Maggie's ear and whispered, "I didn't know how this would turn out, so I came for moral support."

"Thanks, Anna," Maggie said, giving her a squeeze before letting go and turning to face her father. She took a shaky breath. "Hi Dad."

"Hello Margaret." He remained motionless as he spoke.

Maggie swallowed the lump in her throat and tried again. "Listen, Dad, I know that my leaving was – "

Her voice gave out mid-sentence as her father stepped forward and embraced her. Shocked, it took a moment for Maggie to return the hug, but when she did her father gripped her even tighter and she thought she felt him suppress a sob.

"I missed you, sweetheart."

Tears began sliding down Maggie's cheeks. "I missed you too, Daddy."

***

It only took them fifteen minutes to make the drive to the Jones residence in the suburbs of Speke; it was a pretty small town. Despite the tender moments at the train station, the atmosphere in the car was tense, and Maggie sat in silence watching the familiar sights roll past the window. Though she and Anna had talked as though Maggie had never left, she hadn't the faintest idea what to say to her father. They had barely spoken to each other. At first Anna attempted to break the awkwardness in the car with chatter, but she soon fell silent, unable to persuade either her sister or her father to make conversation.

It came as a relief to all three when they pulled into the driveway of their house; Anna practically scrambled out of the car. Maggie followed more slowly, and by the time she was standing in the driveway Anna was at her side holding Maggie's suitcase. Maggie took it from her and grasped her sister's hand tightly with her free hand. The two of them followed their father towards the front door, but before they got there the door was flung open and a petite figure came hurtling out, launching itself at Maggie.

Maggie smiled. "Hi Valerie."

The fourteen year old looked up at her oldest sister, smiling through tears. "Maggie! I'm so glad you're here! I missed you so much!"

"Oh Val, I missed you too. Both of you," Maggie said, putting an arm around each of her sisters and holding them close. The trio just stood there hugging each other until their father spoke from the doorway.

"Girls. Come inside now." And he disappeared into the house.

The sisters looked at each other nervously. "He sounds mad," Valerie whispered.

Maggie nodded. "Yeah. I figured he would be."

They began walking slowly towards the open door. "He pretty much lost it when you left," Anna said quietly. "He yelled a lot at first and then just kind of stormed around in silence for days."

Guilt settled in Maggie's stomach. She cleared her throat. "What about Mom?"

"She cried a lot," Valerie replied. "A _lot_. Kept saying things like 'Why would she leave?' and 'How could she do this to me?'"

The guilt became heavier. "Oh, God," Maggie said miserably.

"Hey," said Anna, resting her cheek against Maggie's, "you did what you had to do to be happy. You _are_ happy in New York, right?"

Maggie nodded. "I really am. I'll tell you all about it later. The only thing I don't like is how much I miss you girls when I'm there."

They climbed the front stairs and stepped into the house. Nothing seemed to have changed inside since Maggie had last been here months ago. Except that it no longer felt like home. Maggie suddenly realized that she was a visitor in the house in which she had grown up; this wasn't home – New York was. She wasn't sure exactly when the shift had taken place in her subconscious, but it was perfectly clear to her now. Speke was where she had been born and raised, but it wasn't where she belonged.

Anna turned to Maggie and raised her eyebrows inquiringly. "You want us to come with you to see Mom?"

Maggie took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. It didn't work. But she shook her head nonetheless. "It's okay. I should probably try this alone first. Just…maybe if you two could hang around nearby in case things get out of hand?"

"Sure," Anna replied, while Valerie nodded.

"Thanks." Maggie took another deep breath and headed into the living room. She felt her sisters creeping along behind her, the pair of them stopping by the doorway, just out of sight. Upon stepping into the room, Maggie saw her mother sitting in an armchair and her father standing behind it, his hands on his wife's shoulders. Her father's face was unreadable, but her mother looked close to tears.

"Hi Mom," Maggie said quietly.

Her mother took a deep breath before responding. "Hello Margaret."

Awkward silence fell upon the room. Again Maggie found herself at a loss for words; she couldn't believe talking to her parents was proving so difficult. Would it get easier? Another question she had no answer for. Maggie opened her mouth to speak but her mother beat her to it.

"Welcome home, dear." She raised her hand and beckoned her daughter over to her. Maggie crossed the room to her mother's side. Her mother took her hand and pulled Maggie down to sit on the arm of her chair.

Maggie met her mother's eyes – the eyes that were an exact mirror of her own – and saw a mixture of misery and happiness swirling in their depths. A mixture of emotions that Maggie herself was feeling. Maggie squeezed her mother's hand and smiled slightly, fully realizing that even though she was at odds with them much of the time, she'd missed her parents a lot.

Letting out a shaky breath, Maggie's mother put her arms around her and pulled her close. Maggie returned the embrace and sighed.

"I'm glad you're back, baby girl."

Maggie shut her eyes against the tears she felt burning there, and heard her father leave the room. She briefly wondered why – if maybe he had been expecting a confrontation – but her thoughts were cut short as she heard her mother let out a sob.

"Mom?"

Her mother looked up at her, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I just wish you'd come home under different circumstances."

The grief threatened to overwhelm Maggie again, but something in her mother's tone set off a warning bell in her head. It sounded like her mother thought that Maggie was back for good. She considered setting the record straight right away, but decided against it, thinking that it would be better to deal with it after the funeral.

Her mother pulled Maggie down into the chair with her, half on her lap, and hugged her tightly. "I missed you, Maggie."

"I missed you too."

Maggie's mother started sobbing. "And your brother…my baby boy…I can't believe he's gone."

Tears began pouring down Maggie's cheeks and she tightened her hold on her mother. "I miss him so much, Mama."

"I know, dear. So do I."

Suddenly there was a sound in the doorway. They looked up to see Valerie and Anna enter the room, tears in their eyes as well. Maggie and her mother gestured to them and the two younger girls hurried over and joined the embrace.

Mother and daughters sat huddled together and cried for a long while, only parting as their tears began to subside.

"You should get to bed, girls. Tomorrow is going to be hard."

Maggie, Anna and Valerie separated themselves from the tangle of limbs and, after each kissed their mother's cheek, headed upstairs, Maggie picking up her suitcase as they passed through the entryway. Upstairs the sisters parted ways, each going to their respective bedrooms.

Maggie entered her old room, closing the door softly behind her. It was all exactly as she'd left it. She put her suitcase on the floor and gazed around at the walls, covered in posters of actors – Paul Newman, Warren Beatty, Rock Hudson – and musicians – Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles. There were also photographs of friends and family, as well as some of her original artwork.

As Maggie got changed into her pyjamas she thought about how much she had changed since she had last occupied this room. She'd done a lot of growing up since leaving for New York. She sat on the bed and suddenly wished that she had brought some of her records with her; it was so quiet and she didn't really want to be alone with her thoughts. She hadn't even brought her art supplies with her, which just showed how messed up she was about all this. Maggie sighed, flopping onto her back and staring at the ceiling. She had been lying there for a few minutes when there was a soft knock on the bedroom door.

"Come in," she called, rolling onto her side. She smiled a little as her sisters came into the room, both clad in pyjamas. They shut the door behind them and climbed onto the bed, lying down on either side of Maggie. "Hey," she whispered.

"Hey," Valerie and Anna said in unison.

"I'm glad you came in here," Maggie said quietly. "Having only my thoughts for company is not a good thing right now."

Valerie rested her head on Maggie's shoulder and Anna put her hand over her older sister's. The sixteen year old sighed. "I know what you mean. I've spent the last months waiting for my big brother to come home…I never thought he'd come home like this." Anna's sentence ended in a sob.

"Me neither," Maggie replied, her eyes brimming with tears. "Sometimes it doesn't even seem real…I keep thinking that Dave is going to walk through the door and we'll all joke and laugh like we used to."

Valerie whimpered and Maggie rolled over to hug her baby sister; Anna followed suit and put her arms around Maggie. The three sisters lay there giving each other silent comfort, and after a while they drifted off to sleep, still in their embrace.

***

The next morning Maggie awoke sandwiched comfortably between her sisters, both of whom were still asleep. She lay very still and listened to the birds outside the window, not wanting to wake the other girls when they were sleeping so peacefully. A few minutes later Anna sighed loudly and opened her chocolate brown eyes. Maggie put a finger to her lips and motioned to Valerie; Anna nodded slightly and lay back, gazing out the window. Maggie glanced outside as well. The sky was overcast, grey clouds threatening rain. It was a dismal day. _Fitting,_ Maggie thought miserably.

Maggie and Anna lay there quietly for another ten minutes or so before Valerie's green eyes fluttered open. "What time is it?" she muttered.

Anna, being closest to the bedside table, craned her neck to look at the alarm clock perched on it. "Almost nine."

Maggie sighed. "I guess we should get up then."

The three girls sat up and stretched, yawning widely. They clambered off the bed and parted ways, Maggie and Valerie heading into the two upstairs bathrooms to shower, while Anna headed to the ground floor to do the same.

After finishing up in the bathroom, Maggie headed back to her bedroom and opened her closet, gazing at the clothes she had left there when she moved to the city. They were mostly her dressier and more conservative clothes, which she had determined she would have no need for in New York. She sifted through the contents of the closet until she located the one black dress she owned, which had been worn only once, to her grandfather's funeral a year or so before. Sighing, Maggie pulled the dress from its hanger and put it on. It was a short-sleeved knee-length dress, belted at the waist. Maggie sat down at the desk and gazed into the mirror, putting on a bit of makeup, even though she felt she would probably cry it all off later. She then brushed her damp hair and pinned it into a bun on the back of her head. Finally Maggie went back to the closet and pulled out a black cardigan before exiting the room and heading downstairs.

The family ate breakfast in silence, no one able to think of anything worth saying on such a day. The five of them then piled into Mr. Jones' car and drove to the church for the service.

***

Hot, bitter tears rolled down Maggie's cheeks as she watched her brother's coffin being lowered into the ground. She couldn't help but glare at the soldier who handed the folded flag to her mother; even though she knew it wasn't his fault her brother was gone, she needed someone to blame in that moment, and this guy was it. In fact, every time her eyes fell upon one of the uniformed men something awfully close to hatred bubbled up inside her. And the ugly thought kept popping unbidden into her mind: _why couldn't it have been one of them instead of my brother?_

Maggie hated that she was thinking that way, but she couldn't help it; her twin had been taken away from her, and she was angry.

It seemed to take forever, but finally the coffin was out of sight, the grave slowly being filled in. The crowd of mourners began to disperse. Maggie and her sisters walked slowly closer to their brother's headstone and each laid a rose at its base. Blinking repeatedly to clear her vision enough to do so, Maggie read the tombstone:

_David Richard Jones_

_June 18, 1946 – April 13, 1967_

_Beloved son and brother_

_And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make._

"Goodbye David," Maggie whispered. She knelt down and kissed the headstone, running her fingertips over the words carved there. "I love you."

And with that she stood up, took one last look at the flower-covered grave, and walked out of the cemetery with her family.

***

The rest of the day was spent accepting food and condolences from the many friends and neighbours who dropped by the house. It seemed like half of Speke turned up to mourn David. At about eight o'clock that evening Maggie excused herself and went up to bed, emotionally and physically exhausted. As she lay in her darkened room her thoughts wandered to her friends in New York. She couldn't wait to get out of here and back to them. This house was full of sadness now and she just wanted to get out of it. Forcing herself to think happier thoughts, Maggie's weariness soon took over and she drifted off to sleep.

Maggie slept late the next morning, rolling out of bed just before eleven. She quickly showered and dressed in a pair of faded jeans, which were covered in dried paint splotches, and a plain black t-shirt. She padded barefoot downstairs, as she was now used to doing, without even thinking about how her proper parents might react to her attire.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs Maggie paused to listen; it seemed her parents were in the living room watching television. Maggie headed into the kitchen. After rummaging through the refrigerator she began making herself some fried eggs. They were sizzling happily away when Maggie heard her father clear his throat from the doorway. She looked up.

"Morning, Dad."

"Barely," he said. "Do you customarily sleep so late?"

Maggie shrugged as she scooped the eggs out of the pan onto a plate and fished a fork out of the drawer. "Usually, unless I have something I need to be up early for."

"I see."

Maggie rolled her eyes. "What?"

"Don't take that tone with me, young lady. I think that place has had a negative effect on you."

"Dad that's not – "

"Or perhaps it's the people who have affected you negatively. Those _friends_ of yours."

Maggie put down her plate. "Excuse me?"

"Margaret, when I called your apartment a _man_ answered the phone. I shudder to think of the way you're living there," her father said crossly.

So this was it. The argument Maggie had been expecting since she'd stepped off the train was finally here. "He has a name. That was Jude. He's my _friend_. One of the best friends I've ever had, in fact. He understands me and he's supportive – which is more than I can say for you."

"Margaret!"

Maggie's mother appeared at her father's side, a shocked look on her face.

"He was insulting my friends!"

"Yes…your friends. Your father told me that you're living with men."

Maggie sighed in frustration. "Why is that all you people can focus on? Yeah, I live in the same apartment as three guys. So what? Two other women live there too!"

"That makes no difference," argued her father, his voice rising angrily.

Maggie's voice rose in turn. "Yes it does! We're all just friends! And even if I _were_ involved with one of them, what business is it of yours?"

"It's my business because you are my daughter!" thundered her father.

Attracted to the scene by the loud, angry voices, Anna and Valerie slipped into the kitchen.

"That doesn't mean you get to tell me how to live my life! The things you seem to want for me are not the things I want for myself!"

"You're too young to know what you want!" Maggie's father yelled.

"Chuck!" her mother broke in.

He turned to her. "What is it?"

"I've thought this over in the last months. This is exactly why she left in the first place. We never listened to her."

Maggie's father looked livid. "She thinks she can support herself as an artist, Pam," he said scornfully.

"She can!"

Everyone turned to look at Valerie in surprise; even she looked somewhat shocked at her outburst. But she also seemed determined to speak her piece now that she'd started.

"Have you ever seen her artwork? I mean really _seen_ it? It's amazing! Maggie's really talented and if she puts her mind to it I know she can succeed."

"Thanks Val," Maggie said softly.

"You're welcome," she said, stubbornly staring down their father.

But he was not going to back down so easily. "You stay out of this, young lady. And you," he said, turning back to Maggie, "you're not going back to that place. You're staying right here where you belong, and that's final."

Maggie shook her head. "No."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said 'no'. I'm not staying here. And I certainly don't belong here. New York is my home now, and I'm going back there whether you like it or not." Maggie's voice was calm and steady, but there was hardness in it that was more effective than yelling could ever be.

Maggie's father, however, continued yelling. "I am your father! You have to do as I say!"

"No she doesn't," her mother said softly – sadly. "She's legally an adult."

Maggie stared in shock. Her mother was _supporting_ her decision to leave?

"I don't care!" her father stormed. "She's too young to know what's best for her! She needs to – "

"_Try to see it my way_

_Do I have to keep on talking til I can't go on?_

_While you see it your way_

_Run the risk of knowing that our love may soon be gone"_

Maggie's father fell silent as Maggie began to sing, looking at him pleadingly.

"_We can work it out_

_We can work it out_

_Think of what you're saying_

_You can get it wrong and still you think that it's alright_

_Think of what I'm saying_

_We can work it out and get it straight or say goodnight_

_We can work it out_

_We can work it out_

_Life is very short, and there's no time_

_For fussing and fighting my friend_

_I have always thought that it's a crime_

_So I will ask you once again_

_Try to see it my way_

_Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong_

_While you see it your way_

_There's a chance that we might fall apart before too long_

_We can work it out_

_We can work it out_

_Life is very short, and there's no time_

_For fussing and fighting my friend_

_I have always thought that it's a crime_

_So I will ask you once again_

_Try to see it my way_

_Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong_

_While you see it your way_

_There's a chance that we might fall apart before too long_

_We can work it out_

_We can work it out."_

Silence descended upon the family for several long moments. Then Mrs. Jones spoke softly, laying a hand on her husband's arm.

"Chuck…she's right. Don't lose the love you have for each other over this."

He took a deep breath. "Alright. Go back to New York." He still sounded angry, but Maggie figured that was the best she was going to get out of him for the time being. She decided to let go of her anger and hope her father would eventually do the same.

"Thank you."

Her father nodded stiffly and left the kitchen. Maggie sighed and hugged her mother.

"Thanks Mom," she whispered.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," she replied, holding her daughter tight. "Just be careful."

"I will. I promise."

"I'll miss you, baby."

"I'll miss you too."

Maggie's mother pulled away just enough to lock eyes with her. "And don't worry about your father, dear. He'll come around. Just give it time."

Maggie nodded. "I hope you're right."

***

The next morning Maggie's mother and sisters took her to the train station; her father refused to go, but he did give Maggie a brief hug before she left the house. She figured her mother's prediction was right, and her father just needed time to accept the situation.

After a tearful goodbye, Maggie got on the train bound for New York. As on the trip there, she found a window seat and waved to her sisters and her mom as the train left the platform and chugged away from Speke.

Again, Maggie managed to sleep for much of the trip, and before she knew it the announcement that they were entering New York came over the loudspeaker. She sat up and looked out the window as the train pulled into the station, trying to locate Max; she had phoned the night before to let her friends know when she was coming back, and she knew he'd be there to get her and bring her home.

Minutes later, the train came to a complete stop and people began disembarking. Maggie joined them. She stepped onto the platform and began weaving her way through the crowd, looking for Max. She found him soon enough; he was gazing in the opposite direction, obviously looking for her.

"Max!" she called loudly.

He turned and his face broke into a huge grin as he saw her. Max hurried over and embraced her tightly, picking her up off her feet. Maggie hugged him back and immediately felt better about everything that had transpired in the past few days.

She was home.

* * *

**AN:** Well, there it is. Hopefully you liked it, and even if you didn't, let me know! I tried not to make it too angsty but I'd appreciate you letting me know how you found it. This should be the last sad chapter for a while. Oh, and the timeline might be out of whack but stretching things out a bit suits my purposes and will make the story last longer! ;)


	6. Chapter 6 I Feel Fine

**Author's Note: **Hello again!! I know it took me quite a while to get this chapter up, but I had a really hard time getting it ready to post. I just couldn't seem to get it quite right, and didn't want to post it until I was happy with it, because that wouldn't be fair to you guys either. But I've finally got it so that I'm satisfied with the way it turned out. I hope you all enjoy it too! And I know that I promised in the last chapter that it would be that last sad one for a while, but the beginning of this one is a bit sad too; there were just some things about Maggie's brother that needed to be dealt with before I could move on with the story. After this I will try to keep the depressing stuff to a minimum for a bit ;)

As always, a great big thank you to all my lovely reviewers, you are all fantastic! And thanks also to everyone who has added me to their alerts and favourites - I'm especially flattered by those who have added me to their favourite authors, and I hope I can live up to that. And to everyone else out there who is reading this, thanks for sticking with me and I would love to hear what you think!

Anyways, I think I've distracted you long enough with my rambling, so on with the story!

**Disclaimer:** Anything familiar is not mine.

* * *

**Chapter Six – I Feel Fine **

The night after Maggie returned to New York there was a party at the apartment. She suspected that her friends had planned it to take her mind off her brother's death and her awkward trip to Speke; she appreciated their efforts, but it wasn't really working. So she forced herself to smile and make conversation with the guests for as long as necessary before she felt she could sneak away without being rude. Maggie excused herself from a discussion with one of their hippie friends and left the kitchen, weaving her way through people to a quiet corner of the apartment where she slipped unnoticed out a window onto the fire escape.

Sitting at the edge of the fire escape and dangling her feet off the edge, Maggie leaned on the railing and gazed down at the street below; it was getting pretty late but people were still bustling around on the sidewalks and even on the road itself. They seemed so carefree and happy. Maggie sighed, wondering when she would feel that way again.

Maggie reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a cigarette; placing it between her lips she checked her pockets for her lighter, but it was nowhere to be found. She couldn't believe how often she misplaced that damn thing. Rolling her eyes, Maggie was about to put the cigarette back in her pocket when a hand appeared at her shoulder, holding her lighter.

"Looking for this?"

Maggie smiled faintly and nodded, looking at Max as he sat down next to her. She held the cigarette between her index and middle fingers and Max lit it for her; she took a drag as Max handed her the lighter.

"Try not to lose it again."

"Thanks. Where'd you find it?"

"On a kitchen chair. The one I expected to find you in, after leaving you there for five minutes. Want to tell me why you ran out on your party?"

Maggie puffed away on her cigarette before responding. "So I was right. You guys did do this for me."

"Yeah, it was Jojo's idea. He thought you might need a distraction," Max replied. "Only I get the feeling it's not working too well."

Maggie shrugged. "Not really."

Max reached behind him and produced two bottles of beer. He handed one to Maggie and popped open the other, taking a swig. "You want to talk about it? Or get drunk?"

Maggie smiled, opening the beer. "Maybe a bit of both."

Chuckling, Max put an arm around her shoulders. "Okay. I can help you with that."

Maggie put out her cigarette butt on the railing and took a long gulp of beer. "This sucks."

"The beer?" Max joked, knowing perfectly well what she meant, but hoping to get a smile out of her.

He succeeded in getting a small smile, but received an elbow in the ribs along with it. "The beer is good," Maggie said. "It's everything else that sucks."

"I know. But talking it out might help a little."

Maggie nodded, taking another sip. "Maybe. I just miss him so much." She looked Max in the eyes and smiled wistfully. "I wish you could have met David. You would have liked each other."

"Judging by what you've told me about him, I'm sure we would have."

"He wanted to come to New York with me, you know. But he didn't think we should both leave Mom and Dad at the same time. So he stayed and let me go. He did so much for me over the years. We were pretty much attached at the hip before I left. Dave was the first person I talked to about everything, we used to sneak into each other's rooms at night and talk when we were supposed to be sleeping. Our parents used to get so mad," Maggie finished with a slight laugh.

"I couldn't handle losing one of my sisters," Max said. "I can only imagine what you must be going through."

Maggie said nothing, but scooted closer to Max and rested her head on his shoulder, as she felt tears prickle in her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Maggie?"

She must have tensed up without realizing it, because Max began soothingly rubbing his hand up and down her arm.

"Are you okay?"

Maggie swallowed hard around the lump in her throat before answering. "Not so much. As sad as I still am, I'm getting angrier about it all. I mean, he didn't even want to be there. I hate that all these young men can be shipped off to die, and they have no choice in the matter." Maggie felt rage bubble up in the pit of her stomach and mix with the sadness.

"I hate it too," Max said quietly. "I keep thinking that I might get sent off to war."

Maggie's head snapped up and she stared at him, a terrified look in her eyes. "No. Don't even say that, Max."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Sorry. I won't bring it up again."

"Good. I don't even want to think about that."

They sat quietly for a few minutes, sipping their beer and listening to the sounds of merriment drifting through the open window; apparently no one had noticed they were missing. Maggie was glad for that. All she wanted right now was to be alone with a good friend.

"You know what the worst part is? I mean, aside from Dave getting killed."

Max looked at his friend. "What's that?"

"The way those soldiers treated the whole thing."

"What do you mean? I thought those guys were supposed to be all tight-knit and stuff?"

"No, they weren't insensitive or anything," Maggie replied. "But there was this colonel at the funeral, and he told us that we should be proud of David because he died a hero, giving himself up to save some other guys. And I am proud in a way, and not totally surprised, actually – that's the kind of person Dave was. But the way this guy said it made it sound like he thought the heroism made it all okay, and like we shouldn't be so sad. I wanted to slap his face." Maggie took a deep breath before continuing. "Dave was wearing this fancy medal. But it doesn't make a difference. He's just as dead as he would be without some shiny piece of metal pinned to his chest," Maggie spat bitterly. Her voice broke as she finished, "It doesn't make it okay."

Max put both his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry, Maggie."

"Thanks, Max," she sighed.

After a pause, Max pulled away slightly and looked at her. "How are you doing?"

"I actually feel a little better now."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Maggie nodded. "I feel fine."

Max smiled. "Good. You want to go back inside?"

Maggie shook her head. "I'm still not really in a party mood. But you can go if you want."

"Just for a minute. I'll go get us some more beer," Max replied, standing up.

"That sounds like a good idea," Maggie replied, smiling.

"I'll be right back." And with that Max climbed back through the window and disappeared into the apartment. He reappeared moments later, clutching two beers in each hand; setting them down he settled himself next to Maggie again.

For the next couple of hours Maggie and Max sat by themselves on the fire escape, drinking and smoking and, for the first time in days, talking and laughing like they used to. The noise level in the apartment gradually dropped as it got later and people either left or passed out. Now it was only a matter of time before someone got curious as to their whereabouts.

Sure enough, minutes later they heard someone clamber out the window. The pair turned to see Jude staring at them.

"Hey Jude," they said in unison.

Jude rolled his eyes as he came and sat down on Maggie's other side. "How long have you two been out here?"

Max shrugged. "I'm not sure. A few hours, I guess."

Maggie nodded. "I wasn't really in the mood for a party. I love you guys for trying, though."

"How are you?" Jude asked.

"I'm doing okay," Maggie replied. "I talked things out with Max and I feel a lot better now."

Jude smiled. "That's good. Can we get you anything?"

"No thanks," Maggie said, stifling a yawn. "I think I'm gonna head to bed. Goodnight guys." She got to her feet, then leaned down and kissed the top of Max's blond head. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Max replied, watching her clamber through the window.

"She seems to be doing better." Jude's voice made Max turn his head back to look at the Brit. "What'd you say to her?"

Max shrugged. "About her brother? Not much, actually."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. She did most of the talking. I pretty much just sat here and let her get it all out." Max paused. "Except for when I freaked her out by saying that I might get shipped out too."

Jude sighed. "Way to go, man."

"I know. I kind of just said it before I thought about it." He stopped for a moment before continuing, and when he did Jude heard fear in his friend's voice. "It could happen, though."

"Hey," Jude said, clasping his hand on Max's shoulder, "there's no use worrying about it, yeah?"

Max grinned lopsidedly. "You're right, man. Is there any beer left?"

Jude laughed, and after a moment Max joined in. "I think so. Let's go inside."

The two young men stood up and paused, glancing at each other. At the same moment they both bolted for the window, grinning and playfully shoving each other, each trying to get through first. Jude won the scuffle and hopped through the window, Max right behind him. Jude's feet had barely touched the floor when Max bashed into him from behind, his momentum knocking them both to the ground, where they sat having fits of laughter. Sadie walked by, shaking her head amusedly at her boys.

***

Maggie woke up late one morning a few weeks later, actually feeling fully rested and refreshed for the first time since her father called her with the news of David's death. She stretched and got out of bed, pulling a worn old sweatshirt over her head; it had belonged to her brother, years ago, until she had stolen it, loving how big and baggy it was. It was the most comfortable piece of clothing she owned. Maggie smiled as she recalled how David had reacted when he'd discovered the theft of the shirt. He'd gotten amusingly bent out of shape and demanded that she return the sweatshirt, but in the end he let her keep it; he never had been able to deny his sisters anything.

A small, wistful smile on her face, Maggie clattered through the bead curtain and out of her bedroom. Upon reaching the whatever room she was a little surprised to find both Max and Jude already awake. Neither appeared to be battling a hangover, either; they were talking animatedly about something or other that had occurred the night before.

Max, who had his back to her, had not noticed Maggie's entrance, so she decided to mess with him. Motioning to Jude to keep quiet, she crept up behind Max and forcefully grabbed his shoulders.

She was rewarded by Max jumping nearly a foot in the air and whipping his head around with a startled expression on his face. Maggie grinned and waved innocently, while Jude erupted with laugher. When Max blinked bemusedly a few times, Maggie was unable to contain herself any longer and she began laughing as well. Max tried to recover from his shock as Maggie, still giggling, flopped down on the couch beside him.

"Jeez girl, you just scared a year off my life," Max said.

Maggie looked at him, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "I couldn't resist. Sorry."

"You don't sound sorry at all," said Max.

At this Jude broke into fresh gales of laughter; Maggie grinned and Max rolled his eyes.

"Ah, I don't mind," Max said as Jude's laughter died down. "It's good to have you back to your old self."

"Sure is," Jude agreed, smiling at her.

Maggie smiled softly at her friends. "Thanks guys. It's nice to be feeling like myself again."

The three of them sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, listening to the sounds of birds and traffic drifting in through the open window. Maggie glanced at the clock on the wall; it was almost noon.

"So," she said, "what's going on today?"

Max shrugged. "Dunno. I don't have to work so whatever you guys want to do is good I guess."

Jude stood up. "I actually have a deadline this afternoon and I need to put some finishing touches on the pieces I'm submitting, so I'll catch up with you tonight. We're hitting Sadie's show, right?"

"Yeah," Max answered. "See you later, man."

"Bye Jude," said Maggie, giving a little wave which the Brit returned as he left the room.

Max turned to Maggie. "So?"

"I guess I'll go have a shower and then we can figure something out?"

Max nodded, leaning back and propping his feet up on the coffee table. "Take your time."

Half an hour later Maggie was showered and dressed in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt with a giant white peace sign emblazoned on the front and bright blue, pink and green splatter patterns all over it; the shirt had been plain black when she'd bought it and she had added the rest herself. Maggie often bought plain clothing and decorated it – she found it to be a great form of self expression. Lately she had been putting messages of peace and love on a lot of her clothing.

Maggie quickly brushed her hair and put on a pair of green sneakers, then left her bedroom to rejoin Max in the living room. She found him on the couch, in the exact same position in which she'd left him earlier, except that now his eyes were closed. Maggie paused, trying to determine whether he was asleep or not. Her question was answered a moment later when one blue eye cracked open.

"You ready?" Max asked, opening his other eye and sitting up.

Maggie nodded. "Yup."

Max sprang to his feet. "Awesome. Let's go." And he took her hand and led her out of the apartment.

Maggie giggled. "Go where?"

Max shrugged as they started down the stairs. "I'm not sure. We'll just see where the day takes us," he said, grinning.

His smile was infectious and Maggie couldn't help grinning back. A few minutes later they emerged onto the bustling street, where people were milling about talking, passing out flyers, going in and out of various businesses and across the street there was a long-haired man playing a trumpet. Maggie and Max glanced at each other. Shrugging, Maggie turned to the left and began walking leisurely down the sidewalk, Max at her side.

After wandering the streets of Greenwich for a while they made their way down to the old abandoned docks. It was a warm early spring day and they tugged off their shoes and socks, rolled up their jeans and sat on the edge of the dock, dipping their bare feet in the cold water. Chatting comfortably with Max, Maggie watched puffy white clouds drift lazily across the bright blue sky. She remembered how she and her siblings used to lounge in their backyard and look at cloud shapes.

"Mags?"

Maggie snapped out of her memories and looked at Max. "Yeah?"

Max smiled. "You just zoned out there. What were you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing really. Just remembering when I used to watch the clouds with my brother and sisters."

"My sisters and I used to do that, too. Small towns are pretty boring, huh?"

"Yeah," Maggie agreed with a quiet laugh. "Although, we're not really doing much right now, except watch clouds drift along," she added after a pause.

Max laughed. "True. What do you propose we do then, to add some big city excitement to the day?"

Maggie smiled and rolled her eyes. "I didn't say there was anything _wrong_ with what we're doing right now."

"I know," Max replied. And then, after a moment added, "My feet are going numb."

Maggie giggled. "Mine are too, now you mention it." She quickly yanked her feet out of the water, accidentally splashing Max with the cold liquid.

Maggie's eyes widened as Max spluttered in surprise. "Oh my God, Max! I'm so sorry!"

Max turned to her, blue eyes wide. "Was that really necessary? That water's cold, you know."

"I know!" Maggie replied, looking mildly horrified. "I didn't mean to!"

Max pulled his feet onto the dock and stood up, shaking his head vigorously, sending droplets flying everywhere. Maggie got to her feet as well, looking somewhat apprehensive.

"Didn't mean to, huh?" Max said shrewdly. "Well, maybe I just won't mean to do this!" He grabbed Maggie's shoulders and thrust her towards the edge of the dock. She shrieked and squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself. But her feet remained firmly on the ground.

Opening her eyes, Maggie turned her head and looked over her shoulder at Max, who was gazing back at her with laughter in his blue eyes.

"You didn't think I'd really push you in, did you?"

Maggie shrugged. "One can never tell with you."

Max laughed and stepped forward to stand beside Maggie – and slipped on the wet ground. He went sliding forward, grabbing onto Maggie in an attempt to steady himself, but it didn't do any good and they both toppled into the icy water with a great splash.

Their heads broke the surface at the same moment and they both sputtered in shock. Maggie looked as stunned as Max felt; she turned to him with wide eyes.

"Max!"

"Sorry! I didn't mean to drag you with me, grabbing onto you was a reflex!"

"Oh my _God_ this water is _freezing_!" Maggie yelped, swimming towards the dock as quickly as she could, which unfortunately wasn't very quickly as she was weighed down by her clothes. Max joined her and they clambered up onto solid ground, dripping and shivering.

They stared at each other for a moment, both looking like drowned rats, and then they burst out laughing. They couldn't help it – they both had looked so comically traumatized that it was impossible not to laugh.

Their laughter began to die down as the breeze, which had felt so pleasantly cool when they were nice and dry, picked up again. It was far less pleasant now that they were soaked. Maggie automatically snuggled up to Max for warmth, putting her arm around his waist; he hooked his own arm over her shoulders and looked down at her.

"So, what do you think? Should we head home?"

He tried to sound utterly casual, but the effect was ruined by the fact that his teeth were chattering. Maggie laughed.

"Definitely," she replied, shaking with cold.

Huddled together they made the trek back to their building, getting strange looks from passers-by. They dripped water all the way up the many stairs and finally arrived outside their door. Maggie sighed with relief as they stepped into the warmth of the familiar apartment, Max swinging the door closed behind them. It banged shut rather harder than he had intended, which got the attention of every person in the living room; four heads swivelled in their direction, curiosity registering on each one of them.

"What happened to you two?" Prudence asked with raised eyebrows.

"It's a bit early for swimming yet, don't you think?" Jude chimed in.

"Oh shut it," Max replied, squelching across the apartment to the bathroom, returning a moment later with two towels. He tossed one to Maggie and wrapped the other around his own shoulders.

Maggie caught the towel and began wringing the water from her hair; she kicked off her shoes and made her way over to stand behind the couch, where Max joined her. Their friends were still staring at them expectantly. After all, it wasn't every day that your roommates came home soaking wet when the sky outside was clear and blue.

"We were at the docks and we fell in," Maggie explained.

"It was Max's fault, right?" Jude asked.

"Hey!" exclaimed Max, looking offended. "I resent that!"

Jude gave him a look.

"Yeah, alright, it was my fault, but you don't have to automatically assume…"

Everyone but Max burst out laughing; after a moment of looking resentful, Max's face broke into a grin.

"Well," he said, "I think I'm gonna go take a nice hot shower now."

"I don't think so!" Maggie exclaimed. "_I'm_ going to shower first."

"And why do you get the first shower?"

"Because this was your doing!" Maggie said, gesturing to her wet clothes.

"You splashed me first," Max pointed out.

"That was an accident! And you're the one who tossed us both in the water," Maggie argued. "I think that gives me the right to get warmed up first. And…ladies first!"

Max stared at her, trying to come up with another argument, but he was at a loss. "Oh fine," he said sulkily.

Maggie rolled her eyes. "I'll be quick. You'll survive."

"And won't you be sorry if I don't!" Max called after her as she left the room, and Maggie knew his pouting had been fake.

Once in the bathroom Maggie peeled off her sodden clothing and took a quick, hot shower. In just a few short minutes the chill was chased from her bones. She turned off the water and hopped out of the shower, wrapping herself in a towel. Picking up her discarded clothes she opened the bathroom door and stepped into the hall, calling out as she did so.

"Max, you can shower now!"

Seconds later he raced into view, grinning at her. "Thanks!" he said, before barrelling into the bathroom and slamming the door. Maggie laughed and went to her bedroom, where she dumped her wet clothes in the laundry basket and picked some dry ones out of the closet – another pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, this one covered in hearts and peace signs of various sizes and colours. She then brushed her hair, put on some makeup, pulled on a pair of black sneakers and headed back out to the living room to join the others.

Sadie and Jojo were no longer in the living room when Maggie got there; upon seeing her inquiring look Prudence informed her that they had gone to get ready for their gig. Maggie, Jude and Prudence sat chatting and a few minutes later Max joined them, looking much happier now that he was wearing dry clothes.

About half an hour later Sadie and Jojo re-emerged, dressed for the concert.

"Looking sharp," Maggie said approvingly, looking them up and down.

"Thanks hon," Sadie replied, swooping down and dropping a kiss on the top of her head. Maggie smiled at her landlady's actions. Sadie acted like a den mother to them all, and they loved her for it.

"I guess you guys are off?" asked Jude.

Jojo nodded. "Yeah. Gotta be there for sound check."

"Alright, we'll see you after the show then," said Prudence, as Sadie and Jojo made their way to the door. There was a chorus of 'bye's from all around, then the door swung shut behind the pair.

Maggie stood up. They still had a couple hours before the show started and Maggie had the urge to draw something, so she headed off to her room to grab her sketchpad and pencils. After a few moments of rummaging in her desk drawer to find said pencils, she scooped them up and made her way back to the whatever room. She found Jude there, alone.

"Hey," she said, flopping onto the couch beside him. "Where'd Max and Pru go?"

Jude gave her a significant look, his eyebrows raised suggestively.

"What – _oh!_ I gotcha," Maggie said just as a loud thump reached their ears, coming from the vicinity of Prudence's bedroom. Jude and Maggie looked at each other and smirked.

"Jude? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Doesn't it bother you?" Maggie asked.

Jude glanced at her, confusion written on his face. "Doesn't what bother me?"

"You know…" Maggie looked uncomfortable. She continued quietly. "Prudence being with Max when she's also kind of with you."

To her complete surprise, Jude busted up laughing. It was a few minutes before he had calmed down enough to speak.

"Nope," he finally replied, still chuckling. "I'm not _with _her, we're shagging." Maggie rolled her eyes at that. Jude ignored her and continued. "Look, Prudence can shag whoever she wants, far as I'm concerned. It's not like she's the only one I've been with lately. And you've seen the wide variety of girls Max brings back here."

Maggie smirked. "You're right. You're a bunch of whores, aren't you?"

Jude pretended to be insulted as Maggie giggled, but a moment later his face broke into a grin and he laughed too. "Maybe you're right. Except whores get paid, don't they?"

Maggie rolled her eyes again. "Fine, you're sluts then," she said with a wink.

The pair of them spent the next half hour or so talking and joking while Maggie sketched Jude lounging on the couch, his feet propped on the coffee table. She had just finished up the drawing and signed the bottom of the page with a flourish when Max and Prudence reappeared, both looking somewhat dishevelled. Maggie and Jude glanced at them, then at each other and quickly looked away again, stifling the laughter that had bubbled up inside them. Neither Max nor Prudence seemed to notice; either that or they simply chose to ignore them.

The group whiled away another hour talking, while Maggie drew pictures of both Max and Prudence. About half an hour before they had to leave for the show, Prudence turned to Maggie.

"Hey Maggie, you want to help me pick something to wear tonight?" she asked.

Maggie put down her sketchpad, smiling. "Sure thing, Pru," she replied, standing up. The girls left Max and Jude and went down the hall to Prudence's room. The first thing Maggie noticed upon entering was the twisted mass of sheets on the bed; she smiled slightly and rolled her eyes before turning to Prudence, who was staring into the closet with her back to Maggie.

Crossing the room Maggie joined her friend by the closet. "You really need help picking an outfit?" she asked, guessing the answer.

Prudence looked at her and grinned. "No, not really," she replied, confirming Maggie's hunch. "I just wanted some quality girl time."

Maggie laughed. "I know what you mean. I love those boys, but…" Her voice trailed off and they both giggled.

"So," Maggie said, hopping up and perching on the edge of the dresser, "what's the deal with you and Max and Jude?"

Prudence glanced over her shoulder at Maggie as she pulled a blue peasant blouse off a hanger. She shrugged. "I don't really know. I don't want a relationship with either of them. It's basically just convenient sex," she explained matter-of-factly, scrutinizing the shirt in her hands.

Maggie nodded slowly, slightly surprised; she had never before met a girl who thought like that. _Then again, _she thought, _all the girls I grew up with were pretty conservative and proper._

"Maggie?"

She looked up. Prudence was gazing at her curiously.

"Did I say something wrong?" she asked.

Maggie shook her head vigorously. "Oh! No, not at all. I was just thinking that the girls I knew back in Speke would probably have a stroke if they heard you say that," she replied, grinning.

Prudence laughed. "So would the girls back in Ohio. I guess the city changes you, huh?" she added thoughtfully.

"I guess so," Maggie agreed. "I think you should wear that, by the way," she said, gesturing to the shirt that Prudence was still holding. "It looks good on you."

Prudence glanced down at it. "Yeah?"

"Absolutely. And you should wear this with it." Maggie hopped off the dresser and pulled a black skirt out of the closet, handing it to Prudence.

"I do like that skirt," Prudence said, taking it.

Struck by a sudden idea, Maggie crossed to the door, where she turned and looked back at her friend. "You get changed into that and I'll be right back. I'm going to grab something." She swept from the room before Prudence could respond and headed to her own bedroom, where she rummaged in her jewellery box for a few moments before finding what she was looking for. Maggie bounced back into Prudence's room, where she found her dressed in the outfit they'd picked and looking puzzled.

Grinning amusedly at the confused expression on Prudence's face, Maggie held out the jewellery she had in her hands.

"Here," she said, "put these on too."

Prudence took the necklace and matching earrings and studied them, a small smile on her face. The necklace was a very long string of beads of varying sizes, all of which were a swirling pattern of blue, black and white; the earrings were dangling loops of the same, only the beads were quite a lot smaller. Prudence put in the earrings and looped the necklace twice around her neck, then turned to Maggie with her arms held out to the sides.

"Well?"

Maggie grinned. "Awesome."

"Thanks," said Prudence, grinning back. "And see? I did need your help after all."

Laughing, the pair of them returned to the living room, where Max and Jude were waiting for them.

"Ready?" Jude asked.

The girls nodded.

"Finally," Max sighed, hauling himself up off the couch. Maggie and Prudence looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"We didn't take that long," Maggie said exasperatedly.

"Yeah," Prudence added. "Quit your whining."

Jude chuckled as he got to his feet. "Well, they sure told you, mate."

Max rolled his eyes, grabbing his jacket off the back of the couch, but he was smiling. The others put on their jackets as well and the four of them headed out to Café Huh.

***

The concert lasted for several hours. Sadie and the Po' Boys rocked out hard, sounding amazing as usual, and the assembled crowd nearly screamed themselves hoarse. Maggie and the others sat in a large booth with several of their other friends, drinking and enjoying the music. Throughout the night Maggie danced with both Max and Jude several times, as well as some of the other guys in their group.

After the final encore the club began to slowly empty, but Maggie, Max, Jude and Prudence remained in their booth, waiting for Sadie and Jojo. They emerged after about fifteen minutes, spotted their friends and headed over to them, huge grins on both their faces. The group at the table leapt from their seats, all shouting comments and congratulations. Sadie and Jojo grinned even wider.

Twenty minutes later the entire group was sitting at their usual table in Katz Delicatessen, talking and laughing as they waited for their food to arrive. Sandwiched between Max and Jude, Maggie listened rather than talked, feeling completely at ease and happy as her friends told stories and jokes, often talking over each other. They were easily the loudest group in the place.

When the food arrived the noise from their table lessened considerably. It didn't take them long to finish eating, however, and when they did there was a sharp upswing in the level of noise, but no one seemed to care. They were such regular customers that Maggie sincerely doubted the manager would have kicked them out anyway.

It was almost three in the morning by the time the group got to their feet and left the diner. On the walk home Jojo lit up a joint, which got passed around to everyone, and soon they were unable to stop grinning and kept breaking out into giggles.

Suddenly Max leapt off the sidewalk into the street, spread his arms wide and shouted:

"Roll up, roll up for the Magical Mystery Tour! Step right this way!"

He bounded forward and grasped Maggie's hand, pulling her towards him, grinning. Maggie laughed and fell into step beside Max, hand in hand, as they both began to sing.

"_Roll up – roll up for the Mystery Tour"_

Jude and Sadie joined in the chorus.

"_Roll up – roll up for the Mystery Tour_

_Roll up"_

Jojo and Prudence broke in with:

"'_That's an invitation'_

_Roll up for the Mystery Tour_

_Roll up_

'_To make a reservation'_

_Roll up for the Mystery Tour"_

Then all six of them burst out together.

"_The Magical Mystery Tour is waiting to take you away_

_Waiting to take you away_

_Roll up – roll up for the Mystery Tour_

_Roll up – roll up for the Mystery Tour_

_Roll up_

'_They've got everything you need'_

_Roll up for the Mystery Tour_

_Roll up_

'_Satisfaction guaranteed'_

_Roll up for the Mystery Tour_

_The Magical Mystery Tour is hoping to take you away_

_Hoping to take you away_

_The Mystery Tour_

_Aaaaah_

_The Magical Mystery Tour_

_Roll up – roll up for the Mystery Tour_

_Roll up_

'_That's an invitation'_

_Roll up for the Mystery Tour_

_Roll up_

'_To make a reservation'_

_Roll up for the Mystery Tour_

_The Magical Mystery Tour is coming to take you away_

_Coming to take you away_

_The Magical Mystery Tour is dying to take you away_

_Dying to take you away_

_Take you today"_

The group danced their way through the streets to their building, without a worry in the world, and blissfully unaware of how soon that would all change.

* * *

**AN: **I tried to make the majority of this chapter happy and light-hearted after the sadness of the last couple. I know the last line is kind of sinister, but we all know what's coming up a little later and I thought it felt right. Also, I hope I made it clear enough who was singing which parts of the song. If its confusing let me know and I'll try to fix it.

Love it? Hate it? Review please! :)


	7. Chapter 7 Act Naturally

**Author's Note: **Oh my God I have left this story alone for way, way, WAY too long. I won't even begin to make excuses, because after this long without an update there really is no excuse. All I can say is that I am super super sorry! And if any of my original readers are still out there, feel free to yell at me; I totally deserve it. I'm a bad, bad person. Sorry!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Across the Universe or any Beatles songs, unless you count the DVD and CDs. I'm just a fan playing around with other people's brilliant creations.

**Chapter Seven - Act Naturally**

"Hey you guys! Oh my GOD! GUYS!"

Maggie burst into the apartment, yelling at the top of her voice. Max and Jojo leapt up from the couch looking alarmed, and a wide-eyed Sadie hurried out of the kitchen, a half-eaten piece of toast clutched in her hand.

"What's happened!" the singer asked, giving Maggie a concerned look which turned to confused as she watched the younger woman bounce up and down excitedly on the balls of her feet.

Maggie grinned a bigger grin than any of her friends could ever remember seeing on her face but remained silent. It seemed she was too excited to speak.

"Mags?" Max asked, coming closer, an amused expression on his face. "What is it?"

In reply Maggie let out a strangled scream and leapt at Max, throwing her arms around him. Caught completely off guard, Max lost his balance and they both toppled to the ground, but this did nothing to dampen Maggie's enthusiasm; she rolled off Max and got to her feet, holding out a hand to him and still grinning.

"Sorry," she said as Max took her hand and she helped him to his feet. "I'm just so excited!"

Jojo joined them, laughing. "We'd noticed that. Why?"

Maggie did a little dance on the spot. "I just sold a bunch of my drawings!"

There was an uproar at her words. Her three friends all shouted words of congratulations and Maggie was suddenly lost in a tangle of arms as they all hugged her.

"What's going on here?"

Maggie disentangled herself from the mass of limbs at the sound of Jude's voice to see him and Prudence gazing at them, confused. "I just sold some artwork!" she replied, smiling widely.

Jude and Prudence reacted exactly the same way as the others, hugging and congratulating her. Prudence pushed Maggie down to sit on the couch and the others gathered around, all gazing at her expectantly.

Maggie laughed and launched into the story of how she had been out pinning up some of her anti-war flyers all over the neighbourhood when a girl approached her and commented on the posters. "She asked if I'd painted them and I said yes, and then she told me she worked for a magazine and said she'd like to take me to meet her boss. She took me down the street to their office where she introduced me to the editor and showed him my flyers. Apparently they publish this anti-war magazine called _Revolution_ and they really like my stuff! The editor, Rocky, bought five of my flyers on the spot and said that anytime I have more peace related art he'd love to buy it!" Maggie said all this very fast, and took a deep breath, her face glowing with happiness. "I finally did it!"

The room erupted once more in congratulations; Max, who was sitting next to her, pulled Maggie into a tight hug and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm so proud of you," he said softly, pulling away slightly to look into her eyes. Maggie's heart skipped at the sight of his sparkling blue eyes and his smile, and her face suddenly felt hot. Pulling away slightly she turned to the rest of her friends, all of whom were grinning.

"Well, I think this calls for a celebration," said Sadie, reaching over and squeezing Maggie's hand. There was general agreement from the group, and they separated to go get ready to party.

...

Later that night the six friends were out at one of their favourite bars, drinking, dancing and having a fantastic time. Maggie couldn't remember the last time she had felt this good - certainly not any time since she had received the news of her brother being killed in Vietnam. It had been almost two months since then, and although Maggie still missed him like crazy and knew she always would, she also knew that he would have wanted her to go on with her life and be happy. So she had been trying her best to do just that. Tonight, though, she didn't have to try; she was really, truly happy.

Maggie finished up the beer she was drinking just as a new song began blaring out of the speakers.

_Before this dance is through_

_I think I'll love you too_

_I'm so happy when you dance with me_

"I love this song," Maggie commented, bopping along in her seat.

Max got to his feet and extended a hand to her. "You want to dance?"

Maggie grinned and took his hand, letting him pull her to her feet. "Sure."

Still holding her hand, Max led Maggie onto the crowded dance floor. Finding a space he spun her to face him and put his arm around her waist; Maggie placed her free hand on his shoulder and they began to move to the music. They danced through that song and two more before a slower song started up and Maggie moved to let go of Max and head back to their table - they had never shared a slow dance before and Maggie saw no reason to think tonight would be any different. But Max pulled her back, smiling down at her.

"Going somewhere?"

"I guess not," she replied, smiling back.

They started dancing again, and Maggie suddenly felt nervous. _Weird_, she thought. Since they'd first met Maggie had always been comfortable around Max. Shrugging it off, she gazed around and just listened to the music.

_It's not the way you smile that touched my heart_

_It's not the way you kiss that tears me apart_

_Uh oh many, many, many nights go by_

_I sit alone at home and I cry over you_

_What can I do?_

_Can't help myself - 'cause baby it's you_

"Did I tell you how proud I am of you?"

Maggie looked up at Max and smiled. "You did. But I never tire of hearing it."

Max chuckled. "I knew it was only a matter of time. You're really talented."

A blush crept into Maggie's cheeks and she grinned shyly. "Thanks Max."

"It's true. You're gonna be famous in no time."

Maggie laughed. "Right, sure. If you say so," she said, rolling her eyes.

Laughing, Max hugged her as the song ended. "I'm serious," he said, leading her off the dance floor with his arm around her shoulders. "Just promise me you won't forget me when you're rich and famous."

Maggie giggled, but her eyes were serious as she looked up at Max. "I could never forget you."

Max smiled down at her as they reached the table where the others were still sitting. Jude slid over to make room for them and they sat down side by side. As they all sat talking and joking other people they knew kept drifting over to say hello and hang out for a bit. After a while Maggie excused herself to go to the bathroom. As she made her solitary way across the crowded club, Maggie reflected on the dance she had shared with Max earlier. _Why did I get so nervous when he started to slow dance with me?_

After using the restroom Maggie decided she wanted another drink. She made her way over to the bar, waited a few minutes, and bought a beer. Clutching the bottle in her hand Maggie began making her way back over to her friends. The crowd was thick and it took a while until she could see them; when Maggie broke through the crowd she saw that there were a few more new arrivals at the table, one of whom was a very pretty blonde girl whose name Maggie couldn't remember. Even from this distance Maggie could tell that she was flirting openly with Max. As she watched, the girl slid into Max's lap and ran her fingers through his hair. Max grinned seductively and snaked his arms around her waist.

Maggie was struck with a sudden, violent urge to pull the girl off his lap by her shiny blonde hair. A moment later her eyes widened and she almost dropped her beer in shock as the realization slammed into her.

_Oh my God. I have feelings for Max._

...

Maggie stood in stunned silence for what felt like an eternity, but in reality was only a minute or so. A rush of memories whirled around in her mind; little things, tiny actions or comments, funny little feelings she had felt over the last while, none of which had registered at the time but became perfectly clear now. She couldn't quite pinpoint when her feelings for Max had shifted from just friends to something more, but it had definitely happened.

_Holy shit._

A particularly loud burst of laughter from her friends shook Maggie out of her trance and she quickly walked back to the table, sliding into the booth next to Prudence. Doing her best to ignore Max and the blonde girl, Maggie talked and laughed with the others as if nothing was wrong. She wasn't quite ready to tell anyone about this yet.

They stayed at the bar until closing, which was 2 a.m. A slightly larger group headed back to the apartment than had left it earlier: Jude had picked up a cute little redhead, and the blonde was hanging off Max's arm the whole way home.

Once the group reached the apartment the two couples headed straight to the bedrooms. Maggie watched them go, jealousy bubbling up inside her. She pretended to be too tired to stay up and have a smoke with Sadie, Jojo and Prudence; thankfully no one questioned her and she was free to go into her own bedroom where, after quickly putting on some pajama shorts and a tank top, she flopped down onto her bed and stared at the ceiling.

She couldn't quite believe that this was happening to her. _How can I have a thing for my best friend?_

But there was no doubt about it. Maggie knew these feelings. The last time she had felt like this was when she started dating her ex-boyfriend, Henry. Maggie sighed and got up to flick off the light. Returning to the bed she pulled back the covers and crawled underneath, lying on her side and hugging a pillow to her chest.

Maybe everything would seem better in the morning.

...

The next morning Maggie wandered out to the kitchen, pulling a sweater on over the tank top she'd worn to bed. To her surprise the room wasn't empty when she got there; the redheaded girl who had come home with Jude the night before was sitting at the table, a cup of coffee in front of her. She looked up and smiled shyly as Maggie entered the kitchen.

"Morning. Hope you don't mind that I made some coffee. No one else was awake yet but I can't function without it."

Maggie smiled warmly at her. "That's totally fine. We're pretty used to people coming and going as they please around here." As she spoke she poured herself a mug of coffee and added a bunch of sugar, as usual. "Besides," Maggie added, sitting down across from the redhead, "it saves me the effort of making it."

The girl smiled. Maggie took a deep drink and gazed at her thoughtfully.

"I'm sorry. I can't for the life of me remember your name."

"Don't worry about it," the girl replied, grinning. "I can't remember yours either. I'm Lil."

"I'm Maggie. Nice to meet you...again."

Both girls laughed softly. They chatted as they drank their coffee and waited for the rest of the apartment to wake up; Lil turned out to be a very sweet girl. Apparently she was in town visiting friends for a few days and had wanted to let loose and 'do something crazy'.

"Like Jude?" Maggie asked, smirking.

Lil blushed, but her eyes sparkled mischievously. "I guess. I've never done anything like this before."

Maggie smiled. "It happens. Well, not to me, but trust me, I've seen it happen enough times." These words brought back the memory of Max leading the blonde girl into his bedroom. Maggie gazed into the last dregs of coffee at the bottom of her cup.

"Are you okay?"

Maggie raised her eyes to look at the girl across from her. Lil had a knowing look in her eyes.

"You're thinking about your blond friend, aren't you? Max, right?"

Maggie considered denying it, but for some reason she thought she could tell Lil the truth. Maybe it was because she was almost a stranger and they would probably never cross paths again after today, or maybe it was because she thought telling someone would make her feel better; but whatever the reason, Maggie found herself nodding.

"Yeah."

"You like him, don't you?"

Again, Maggie nodded. "I kind of just realized it last night. But how did you know? Am I that obvious? Do you think - "

"That everyone else knows?" Maggie nodded. Lil smiled and shook her head. "No. I'm just good at reading people."

Maggie sighed in relief. "Good. And would you mind keeping this to yourself? I just don't want my friends to know yet."

"Of course. My lips are sealed."

"What's that?"

"Morning Jude," Maggie said without turning around.

"Morning love," he replied, ruffling her hair affectionately on his way by. He stooped down to place a quick kiss on Lil's lips, then went to pour himself a cup of coffee. A moment later he joined the girls, sitting down between them at the end of the table.

Taking a sip of his coffee Jude gazed at the two girls. "So what are we talking about here?"

Maggie forced her face to remain impassive. "Nothing much. Just getting to know each other a little."

Jude looked doubtful and seemed about to press the issue, and Lil must have sensed this because at that moment she stood up, effectively distracting him.

"I should really get back to my friends' place. I just didn't want to leave without saying bye to you."

Jude and Lil left the room and after a few minutes Maggie heard the front door open and close. Seconds later Jude reentered the kitchen and sat down again.

"So," Maggie said, smirking amusedly, "did you have a good night?"

Jude grinned. "Oh yeah. She is so - "

"Woah, no details, please," Maggie said laughing. "I'm not Max."

Jude chuckled and opened his mouth to reply when a voice cut him off from the kitchen doorway.

"Did someone call me?"

Max flopped into the chair next to Maggie with a mildly confused look on his face. Jude just laughed harder.

Raising an eyebrow Max turned to Maggie. "What's with him?"

Maggie felt her good mood evaporating; she suddenly felt as if something was squeezing her heart painfully, and for one of the first times since they met, she didn't want to talk to Max.

"Nothing," she replied shortly. Maggie got up and walked out of the room, leaving Max staring at Jude, his expression now utterly confused.

"What's with _her?_"

Jude shrugged, feeling just as confused as his friend. "No idea, mate. You do something to piss her off last night?"

"I don't _think_ so," Max replied thoughtfully, searching his memory and coming up empty. "I can't remember doing anything. Maybe I should go apologize to her, just in case?"

Jude shook his head. "No, don't apologize until you know what you did. I'll go talk to her, yeah?"

"Yeah. Thanks, man."

"Mags?"

At the sound of Jude's voice Maggie looked up from where she was hunched over her desk, doodling absently. "Come on in, Jude."

The Brit parted the bead curtain and entered the tiny bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed and gazing at his friend. Looking at her now, he could tell something was definitely bothering her; her demeanor had changed drastically from the happy, excitedly bouncy girl from the previous day. Now she sat slouched, pencil in hand, staring moodily at the paper in front of her.

"You alright, love?"

Maggie sighed. She briefly considered lying to him, but thought better of it; he'd see through her anyway. The two artists understood each other pretty well.

"No, Jude, I'm not. Not really."

"You feel like talking about it?"

Sighing heavily, Maggie tossed the pencil onto the desk where it landed with a clatter and promptly rolled to the floor. She glared at it for a moment before Jude's hand swept down and picked it up, placing it back on the desk. He then looked at Maggie expectantly, patting the space on the bed next to him; she rose from the desk chair and sat down beside him, still not meeting his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Jude asked. "Did Max do something stupid last night to upset you?"

Maggie shook her head. "No," she replied, sounding far more miserable than she intended to.

Jude stared at her with renewed concern at her tone. "Alright, Maggie, look at me. What's the matter?"

She finally raised her head to meet his gaze, and he was startled to find her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "Shit, this is so stupid," she muttered.

Jude put his arm around her shoulders. "Tell me, Maggie. Maybe it'll make you feel better."

"I doubt that, but okay," she replied. Taking a deep breath, she blurted out, "I think I'm falling for Max."

"Ah."

Maggie looked at her friend in surprise. "'Ah'? That's it?"

Jude shrugged. "Well, yeah. It doesn't come as much of a surprise, really. I've kinda suspected for a while now."

Maggie stared, dumbfounded. "Fu-u-u-u-u-ck," she groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Jude chuckled slightly. "I thought you knew?"

"No, I just realized it last night! How did _you _know when I didn't?"

"I dunno," Jude shrugged. "I guess maybe it's easier for someone on the outside to see it? And I know you pretty damn well by now. But really it's just little things, stuff you do, little passing comments. And there's this look you get on your face sometimes when you look at him. I just kinda pieced it all together."

"Oh. Well. Shit. Does everybody know?"

Jude shook his head. "I'm fairly sure they don't, so don't worry your pretty little head over it. You know what it's like, being an artist; you study people. That's probably why I noticed it all."

"Right," Maggie nodded. "Thanks, Jude. I do feel a bit better now."

Jude gave her a quick squeeze and stood up. "I know it must be hard to see him bring home girls like he did last night, but try not to be too hard on the bugger, yeah? He doesn't mean to hurt you."

"Yeah, I know. I'll just try to ignore it. And who knows, maybe it'll all go away."

Jude doubted it, but he smiled slightly at her and didn't voice the thought as he left the room. He made a mental note to watch Max a little more closely from now on, see if there were any signs that the blond returned Maggie's feelings.

...

After her talk with Jude and having a shower Maggie felt better about the whole 'Max Situation', and she was beginning to feel a little bad about snapping at him earlier. He really hadn't done anything to deserve it, and he was still her friend after all. So she dressed in paint-splattered jeans and a light blue tank top and left her bedroom in search of Max.

She found him sitting on the fire escape, smoking a cigarette. His back was to her and he didn't hear her approach until she clambered out the window behind him; at the noise he turned his blond head to look at her, taking a long drag on his cigarette.

"Hey," he said simply, turning back to face the street.

"Hey," Maggie replied as she sat down beside him. "Listen, Max, I wanted to apologize for my attitude this morning."

At her words Max raised an inquiring eyebrow. "Really? According to Jude, I should be apologizing to you."

Maggie's eyes widened. _What the hell did Jude tell him? _A questioning "oh" was the only response she could muster.

"He said I was being a bit of an ass last night. So, I'm sorry Maggie," he said, placing a hand on her arm.

At the news that Jude had made up an excuse for her, Maggie let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and a small smile crossed her face. "It's okay, Max. Don't worry about it."

He studied her face with his bright blue eyes. "So we're okay?" he asked.

"Of course we are, you idiot," Maggie answered with a wink and a smile. Max grinned back and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side for a one-armed hug. Maggie's heart fluttered and she placed an arm around his waist, leaning her head on his shoulder. She couldn't help but grin; despite how she'd felt an hour ago, life seemed really good now.

"So you two've made up now?"

Max and Maggie turned to see Jude poking his head out the window. They nodded and the Brit's face broke into a grin.

"Good," he said, climbing out to join them on the fire escape. "I can't have my two best mates pissed at each other." Sitting down behind them, Jude ruffled their hair and chuckled as they both tried to duck out of his reach; Max shot him a glare and Maggie swatted his arm but it only made Jude laugh harder, and a moment later Maggie and Max joined in. Laughing with her friends, Maggie began to feel like maybe things would be just fine after all.


	8. Chapter 8 Birthday

**Author's Note: **Hello again! Here we go with chapter eight! I've got a couple of nice little Maggie/Max moments for you here; their relationship will really get going soon, I promise! Thanks to everyone who's been reading, and a special thank you to FlowerChild17 for reviewing :) Hope you like the new chappie!

**Disclaimer: **Across the Universe is a wonderful film, but alas, it is not mine. All I can lay claim to is a copy of the DVD.

**Chapter Eight - Birthday**

A few days after her realization of her feelings for Max, Maggie woke up with a heavy heart. The next day was her birthday. Normally a cause for excitement, this year it felt weird and sad; she almost couldn't believe that her twin was no longer around to celebrate with her.

Maggie sighed deeply and got out of bed, trying not to dwell on it. She showered and got dressed, still trying not to dwell on it. She went to the kitchen, poured herself a cup of coffee and made a piece of toast, still trying not to dwell on it. By the time she flopped down on the living room couch, she had realized that her efforts were futile. She was dwelling on it.

Closing her eyes and leaning her head on the back of the couch, Maggie groaned loudly. A second later she thought she would have a heart attack when Max's voice rang out behind her; she hadn't realized anyone else was around.

"Are you okay, Maggie?"

She stared at him with wide eyes, her heart pounding. "You mean aside from the fact that you just scared the living hell out of me?"

"Sorry," Max said sheepishly, coming to sit on the couch next to Maggie. "And yes, I meant other than that. What's with the groaning? Shouldn't you be happy the day before your birthday?"

Maggie sighed. "That's exactly the problem."

"What is?" Max asked with a raised eyebrow.

"My birthday," Maggie replied miserably. "It's just...different now. You know, without David."

Max frowned sadly and pulled Maggie into a hug. "Oh Maggie, I didn't even think of that. I'm so sorry."

Maggie hugged him back, burying her face in his chest. "Max? Can you do me a favour?"

"Of course," Max replied, leaning his cheek on top of Maggie's head. "Anything."

"Do something with me today. Otherwise I'm just gonna sit around all day and think about Dave."

Max pulled back to meet Maggie's eyes. "That's your idea of a favour?" he asked with an amused smile. "Something that I'd enjoy doing anyway?"

Maggie shrugged. "Well I don't know, you might've had other plans."

"I don't, but even if I did I'd change them for you. I'm all yours," Max said with a charming wink. Maggie's heart fluttered madly at his words. She hoped she wasn't blushing. "Let's start right now," Max continued, getting to his feet and pulling Maggie up with him.

Maggie couldn't help but smile as Max led her out of the apartment and down the many stairs; just being near him was a good distraction.

...

Hours later, Maggie and Max hauled themselves back up the stairs towards their apartment. It had been a long, great, thoroughly distracting day. Max had taken Maggie to a little cafe for lunch (where he insisted on paying, despite her loud protests), then they had wandered their neighbourhood for a while, stopping at a small park, and finally made their way to the abandoned dock (no accidental swimming this time). On the way home Maggie had taken Max to the Revolution office and introduced him to some people there.

Once they reached their landing Max reached for the door handle but Maggie stopped him by placing a hand on his arm. He looked at her curiously.

"I just wanted to thank you for today," she said softly. "I didn't have a chance to be sad about Dave. I had a really good time with you."

Max smiled and put an arm around her. "You're welcome, Maggie Mae. I had a good time too. What?" he added, for Maggie was suddenly giving him an odd look.

A small, wistful smile crossed her face. "My brother used to call me Maggie Mae," she said quietly. "He was the only one who did."

Max's eyes widened and he opened and closed his mouth a few times before forming words. "I had no idea, I won't call you that again if - "

Maggie cut him off with a shake of her head. "No Max, it's okay. I like it." She smiled up at him, green eyes locking with blue; they stood there gazing into each other's eyes for a long moment. Max felt a sudden desire to close the small gap between them and capture her lips with his. He began to lean towards her very slowly, almost imperceptibly; but then a loud crash sounded from inside the apartment, startling them and shattering the moment.

Max and Maggie pulled away from each other, hearts pounding, and entered the apartment. Inside they found the source of the crash: Prudence was standing in the middle of the kitchen with a broom and dustpan, cleaning up the broken pieces of what used to be a mug. She glanced up as they entered.

"Oh hey guys," she said, continuing to pick up bits of mug. "Where've you been all day? We were starting to think you wouldn't make it back in time for the show."

Max cleared his throat before answering. "We were all over the place. Maggie took me to meet her editor." Maggie simply nodded at his side, not quite able to make her vocal cords work yet; she was fairly certain that Max had been about to kiss her in the hall before they'd been interrupted, and her pulse was still racing.

Prudence swept up the last of the mess, dumped it all in the garbage and propped the broom up in a corner, then turned her gaze back to Maggie and Max. "Are you two okay? You look kind of...weird."

They both nodded and muttered something before Max turned to go to the living room and Maggie hurried off to her bedroom to change before Sadie's show.

...

The rest of the night was as normal as their nights ever were; they went to the show, Sadie and the Po' Boys rocked it, and they all ended up at Katz for a bite to eat afterward. Max was acting as if nothing had happened in the hallway outside the apartment that afternoon, and Maggie was beginning to wonder if her mind had exaggerated the whole thing. Maybe because she wanted him to kiss her, she had imagined that he would.

_Yes_, Maggie thought, _that has to be it_.

So she decided to put it out of her mind and act like nothing happened, just as Max was. Walking at the front of the group with Jojo, Maggie didn't notice that Max was gazing thoughtfully at her, wishing they hadn't been interrupted earlier.  
He had initially thought it was just an odd moment, a fleeting desire. But Max now realized that he still wanted to kiss her. As he mulled this over his gaze landed on Jude and he remembered what the Brit had said to him a few months ago.

_"You can't mess around with her, mate. She isn't some strange girl you can take to bed and forget about the next day."_

But was that really all he wanted? Sure, Max had been with his share of women, and he'd had actual relationships with precious few of them. He definitely thought Maggie was attractive, but she was so much more than that; Max was forced to admit to himself that he might be developing real feelings for her. Maggie, however, had never shown him any sign that she felt more than friendship for him, so Max wasn't sure if he should act on it. He decided to wait for now; he figured that if she did feel something for him she'd show it eventually, and then he'd do something about it.

...

The next day Max and Jude made sure to get out of bed early enough that they were up before Maggie; the pair had a plan to make their friend's birthday as good as possible, so that hopefully she wouldn't feel too sad about her brother. They both knew that this day was going to be hard on her, but with any luck they could take her mind off some of it.

So they decorated the kitchen with streamers and balloons and cooked a nice breakfast of eggs, bacon, pancakes and fruit salad, though most of the actual cooking was under Jude's direction; Max's cooking skills still hadn't improved much, but he managed to follow Jude's instructions well enough. Once they finished cooking, Max set the table while Jude went and woke the rest of their roommates - Sadie had made a rare exception to her 'never wake me before two' rule for today. Max was just laying out the last of the cutlery when the bunch of them came quietly into the kitchen.

Jude looked at Max. "Go wake her up," he said. Max felt a bit of a thrill that he got to be the one to go get Maggie, when unbeknownst to him Jude was intentionally trying to give the pair of them a moment alone. Ever since Maggie had confessed to Jude her feelings for Max, he had been watching his blond friend closely and had come to the conclusion that Max might just have feelings for Maggie too. Whether or not Max had realized it himself was still unclear, but Jude was hoping to gently nudge them together as much as possible so that they might have a good moment to reveal their feelings for one another. And so Jude watched Max leave the kitchen with a small satisfied smile, not having missed the way his friend's face had brightened a little when he told him to go get her.

...

Max crept down the hall to Maggie's room, where he paused, contemplating that blasted bead curtain in her doorway. He gently reached out and parted the beads slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible; slipping into the bedroom he just as slowly lowered the strands back into place. They clattered quietly, but the little bit of noise sounded thunderous to Max and he glanced anxiously at Maggie; she was still sleeping peacefully.

Letting out a small sigh of relief, Max crossed the tiny room to kneel at the side of the bed. He let his gaze linger on Maggie's pretty face for a moment before he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently.

Maggie stirred and sighed lightly, her green eyes fluttering open and registering mild confusion when she saw Max.

He smiled. "Good morning birthday girl. We have a surprise for you," he said softly.

Maggie blinked and rubbed her eyes. "A surprise?" she repeated.

Max's smile widened. "Yep. Come with me." He got to his feet and offered a hand to help her up; Maggie took it and stood, grabbing a sweater from the desk chair. Max paused as she pulled the sweatshirt over her head, then he took her hand again and led her out of the room.

Shouts of happy birthday greeted them as they entered the kitchen. Maggie's eyes widened and a grin spread across her face as she took in the scene before her.

"You guys did all this for me?"

"'Course we did," Jude replied with a grin, kissing the top of her head and guiding her into a chair. He and Max sat down on either side of her as the others settled around the table.

After breakfast everyone showered and dressed before Maggie's friends led her out of the apartment; they wandered the neighbourhood for a few hours, popping into whatever shops caught their eyes, and then they went to one of their favourite pubs for lunch and a few drinks.

Maggie then found herself whisked back home where Sadie and Prudence chose an outfit for her to wear out that night - a short black skirt and emerald green peasant blouse which Pru said brought out her eyes - and Sadie insisted on doing Maggie's hair while Prudence did her makeup. Looking at herself in the mirror afterward, Maggie had to admit they'd done a great job; her hair was loosely curled and swept back on the sides, fastened with pretty bejeweled bobby pins, and Maggie's makeup was nicer than she herself could ever have done it. Sadie gave her some multicoloured bangles and beaded necklaces to finish off the outfit.

Maggie grinned at her two friends. "Thank you guys so much!"

"You're welcome, hon," Sadie replied as the three of them left Maggie's bedroom. Upon arriving in the whatever room they found Jude and Jojo lounging on the couch, but Max was nowhere to be seen. When asked, Jude explained that Max had gone to his room a few minutes earlier 'to get something' and that he should be back soon.

As Maggie took a seat next to the Brit he leaned over and whispered to her so the others couldn't hear. "Max's eyes are gonna pop out of his head when he sees how good you look."

Maggie felt her cheeks grow warm and a shy smile crossed her lips. Jude grinned as Max entered the room; the blond's gaze lingered appreciatively on Maggie as she stood up along with the others and they all left the apartment.

...

The gang made their way to a club a few blocks away from home. They seated themselves at a large booth and Jojo ordered a round of shots to start them off. Maggie downed her shot and cringed slightly at the burning as the alcohol slid down her throat. She had barely recovered and set her glass back on the table when Sadie and Prudence grabbed her hands and hauled her onto the dance floor. The three of them danced to a few songs before making their way back to the table; rejoining the men they all had a couple rounds of beer before Max stood up and held his hand out to Maggie.

"Dance with me, birthday girl?" he asked.

Maggie grinned and took his hand, letting him pull her to her feet and onto the dance floor. They danced together through several songs, then Max leaned down to speak to her.

"You want to get some air?"

Feeling quite warm by this point, Maggie nodded. Max grasped her hand and led her through the throngs of people to the front door. The cool night air felt good on their hot skin as they stepped outside; the pair of them began walking leisurely down the street, stopping half a block from the club. Max gazed down at Maggie and cleared his throat awkwardly.

"I have something for you," he said, fishing a small wrapped package out of his back pocket and handing it to Maggie.

"Max, you didn't have to get me anything."

"I wanted to. Besides, it's not much..." He trailed off, watching her face as she unwrapped the gift. Maggie's eyes widened and she raised a hand to her mouth as she saw what it was.

"This is... How did you - ?" She raised questioning eyes to Max's face.

"I wrote to your sisters and got them to send me the picture," he replied, looking at the small photograph of Maggie and her siblings. "I bought the frame a few days ago. I'd noticed you didn't have any photos of your brother and sisters and I thought you might like to have one." Finally raising his gaze to meet Maggie's, he found her green eyes glistening with tears.

Without saying anything, she closed the small space between them and threw her arms around Max, hugging him tightly. He returned the embrace, holding her close and resting his cheek on top of her head. They stayed like that for a few long moments before Maggie pulled back just enough to meet Max's eyes, keeping her arms around him.

"I can't believe you did this," she said softly. "Thank you so much, Max. I love it."

Max smiled down at her, giving her a tight squeeze. "You're welcome, Mags. I'm glad it put that smile on your face."

Maggie leaned into him again, resting her head on his shoulder. "That's the most thoughtful thing anyone's ever given me."

Max turned his face to place a light kiss on her head. "Happy birthday, Maggie Mae," he murmured into her hair.

**A/N: **Thanks for reading! Drop me a review and let me know what you thought? Pretty please? :)


	9. Chapter 9 I Wanna Be Your Man

**Author's Note: **Well, it's been a while again, but I think what happens in this chapter might just make up for the wait ;)

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I do not own Across the Universe. Anything you recognize belongs to people who are not me.

**Chapter Nine - I Wanna Be Your Man**

The phone started to ring loudly. Maggie bent awkwardly over the back of her chair to pluck it off the wall.

"Hello?"

_"Hi. Is Max Carrigan there, please?"_

Maggie arched an eyebrow at the girl's voice on the line. "Uh, yeah he is. Hold on a sec." She covered the mouthpiece with her hand. "Max, phone," she called.

No response.

"Max! Get in here!" she yelled.

"Jesus, what are you screaming about?"

Maggie rolled her eyes and thrust the telephone into his hands before leaving the kitchen and flopping down on the couch. She couldn't stop the jealousy bubbling up in her stomach that some girl was calling Max at home; he rarely gave out his number, so she must be something serious.

When Max came into the living room a few minutes later Maggie was brooding on the couch. He flopped down beside her and raised a confused eyebrow at the dark look on her face.

"Who was on the phone?" she asked shortly.

"My sister Lucy," Max replied. Maggie's expression instantly cleared.

"Oh, what's up?" Maggie asked brightly. Max was puzzled by her sudden drastic change in mood, but decided not to comment on it just in case it upset her again.

"She wants to come live here for the summer. Said she needs to get away from home for a while, after what happened to Daniel."

Maggie nodded solemnly; Max had told her all about Lucy's boyfriend being killed in Vietnam. "That's understandable. When's she coming?"

"Next week," he replied, smiling. "It'll be good to see her again."

Maggie smiled back. "I can't wait to meet her."

Max grinned and reached over to squeeze her hand. "I'm excited for you to meet her. I think you'll really like each other."

At his touch, Maggie's heart leapt and she was horrified to feel a blush creep into her cheeks. She awkwardly cleared her throat and excused herself, going into the bathroom and leaving a baffled Max behind her.

_What the hell was that?_ Max thought to himself.

...

In the bathroom, Maggie splashed some cool water on her face and stared at herself in the mirror that she'd stolen from her old apartment when she'd moved in here. She watched the blush slowly drain from her cheeks; taking a few deep breaths she forced herself to calm down.

_Oh God, he probably thought that was so weird._

Realizing that the longer she left Max alone in the living room, the more awkward the situation would get, Maggie dried her face and left the bathroom. Max shot her a confused look as she came back.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Of course I am," Maggie replied, acting as casually as she could manage. "I just had to use the bathroom."

Max gave her a slightly disbelieving look, but didn't comment further. Thankfully Jude and Jojo entered the apartment at that moment, effectively quashing the awkward atmosphere; Maggie quickly asked them about their days to take attention off of herself.

...

"Jude? You busy? I can come back later."

The Brit looked up from his sketch at the sound of Max's voice. "Nah, it's okay. What's up, mate?"

Max entered Jude's bedroom and closed the door behind him, sitting down on the bed. Jude gazed at him. The blond looked preoccupied but he didn't seem eager to say what was on his mind.

"Max? Are you alright?"

Max opened his mouth like he was about to speak; but then he closed it again and shrugged his shoulders. Jude raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, mate, I'm not a mind reader," Jude said. "You're gonna need to help me out here."

Max opened and closed his mouth several times but still didn't say anything; Jude couldn't remember ever seeing his best friend speechless before. Now fairly concerned, Jude crossed the room and sat next to Max on the bed.

"What's wrong?"

Max shook his shaggy blond head. "Nothing's wrong, not really. It's just - "

"Just what?"

"It's Maggie," he said, shrugging.

Not wanting to jump to conclusions, Jude simply nodded for Max to continue.

"I can't stop thinking about her," Max said; now that he had managed to start talking he rushed forward, his words almost tumbling over each other. "We had sort of a moment the day before her birthday - I almost kissed her. I really wanted to. I still want to. Every time I see her I want to kiss her. But I keep thinking about what you told me, about how I can't mess around with her, and then I'm not sure if I should kiss her."

Jude raised his eyebrows at his friend's speech. He was about to make a comment when Max started up again.

"But I've been thinking about it a lot, and I think...she's beautiful. And smart, and funny, and we have so much fun together. She's just...she's...I think... I think maybe I want more with her. Something...real."

Max fell silent. Jude stared at him, slightly stunned.

"Well," Jude began slowly, "have you thought about, I don't know, telling her how you feel?"

Max's eyes widened. "I don't know if I can, man. I've never really done this before."

Jude nearly rolled his eyes, and he almost blurted out that Maggie had feelings for Max; but he stopped himself, thinking that it would be better for them to admit things to each other on their own. All he really needed to do was give Max a little push. "You need to tell her."

"What am I supposed to say? I'm no good with real feelings and crap."

"You'll figure something out, mate. Just find a way to do it."

Max nodded slowly. "Right. Okay. I'll figure something out." He got to his feet and flashed Jude a smile. "Thanks, man."

"No problem," Jude replied, grinning. He returned to his drawing as Max left the room, wondering how long it would take for his two best friends to get together.

...

Maggie stood in front of an easel, painting the stretch of skyline visible through her bedroom window. At the sound of her bead curtain clattering she looked over her shoulder to find Max standing just inside the doorway. She put her paintbrush down and smiled at him; her heart skipped when he smiled back.

"Hey Max," she said. "Come on in."

He took a few steps into the bedroom and leaned against the desk. "Want to go for a walk?"

"Sure. Just let me change my shirt," Maggie replied, gesturing to the paint-smeared shirt she was wearing.

"Okay. I'll wait for you in the living room."

Maggie wiped her hands clean on a rag as Max left the room, then went to her closet and changed from her dirty t-shirt into a pale blue blouse. She rolled the sleeves up to her elbows and buttoned it up as she left her bedroom.

"I'm ready when you are," she said to Max as she entered the whatever room. He got to his feet and they left the apartment together.

They chatted as they walked through the city, and Maggie couldn't help noticing that Max seemed a bit uncomfortable. She tried to put him at ease by bringing up something she knew he was excited about.

"So your sister gets here tomorrow, right?" she asked as they reached the old dock and sat down by the water.

Max nodded, smiling slightly. "Yeah. Tomorrow afternoon."

"Cool," Maggie said. Silence fell between them. Max's mood seemed to be rubbing off on Maggie and she started to feel slightly awkward; she stared out over the water for a few minutes, not sure what to say.

Finally Max broke the silence by clearing his throat deliberately. Maggie glanced curiously at him. He looked nervous.

"Are you okay?" Maggie asked.

Max nodded. "I'm okay. Mags, there's something I need to tell you."

"Alright," Maggie said slowly. "You know you can tell me anything, Max."

He nodded again but still didn't say anything; he had that look she'd seen on his face a couple of times before, as if he was fighting an internal battle of some kind. Maggie was about to ask him what was going on when he did something that took her completely by surprise.

Max laid a hand on her cheek and gently kissed her lips.

The kiss was brief, only lasting a couple of seconds, but it was enough to make Maggie feel as if her heart was going to leap out of her chest. She felt her cheeks heat up with a blush as she gazed at Max, stunned by what just happened and unable to make her vocal cords work.

For the first time since she met him, Max's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. He broke eye contact.

"Oh God, Maggie I'm so sorry - I shouldn't have - its just, I can't stop thinking about you, and I've wanted to kiss you for weeks, and - I just - "

"Max," Maggie said, interrupting him.

He returned his gaze to hers. "Yeah?"

Maggie grinned happily. "Shut up," she said, taking his face in her hands and kissing him firmly.

When they pulled apart they were both smiling widely. "Wow," Maggie said breathlessly. "I've been hoping you'd do that for such a long time."

"You have?" Max asked.

Maggie laughed. "Yes. Max, I..."

Taking her hand in his, Max laced their fingers together and got to his feet, pulling Maggie up with him. He put his arms around her.

"I'm not so good with this part," Max said with an awkward little shrug. "Y'know, the real stuff."

Maggie smiled up at him. "That's okay."

Max took a deep breath. "So what do we do now?"

"What do you want to do?" Maggie asked softly, her stomach doing nervous flip flops.

Max smiled, reaching up and gently tucking Maggie's hair behind her ear. "I think I want to be with you. Y'know, if that's what you want."

Maggie's face broke into a grin. "I think that's what I want, too," she said, standing up on her toes to kiss him again.

...

Max and Maggie entered the apartment hand in hand, talking quietly together and both unable to stop smiling. Jude looked up at them as they came into the living room and he grinned widely.

"So you finally got there, eh?" he asked playfully. "Took you both long enough. I was starting to think I'd have to shove you together myself."

**A/N: **So? What did you think? Are you as excited as me that Max and Maggie are finally together? Please let me know!


	10. Chapter 10 The News Was Rather Sad

**Author's Note: **Hello all! I know, it's been months _again_, but this chapter took me a long time to get right. It was a tough one; lots of emotional stuff here, and I hope I did it justice. Anyway. Thanks to everyone who has read, followed and added this to faves; extra special thanks to witchbaby300, FlowerChild17, mstef, ILuvOdie, Freebird87, and guest for your reviews.

**Disclaimer: **As ever, ATU doesn't belong to me; neither does the song A Day in the Life from which I got the chapter title.

**Chapter Ten - The News Was Rather Sad**

Maggie and Max were nearly inseparable the day after they admitted their feelings to each other. They spent the whole day together until Max had to go pick up his sister from the train station late in the afternoon; Maggie stayed behind to go to Sadie's show with the others, where Max and Lucy would meet them later.

As he left, Max gave Maggie a long kiss, tangling his hand in her hair. They broke apart at the sound of good-natured whistling and catcalling from their friends; Maggie blushed bright red and squeezed her eyes shut. Max chuckled.

"See you at the show," he said, planting another kiss on her forehead before exiting the apartment.

Maggie returned to the living room and gazed at Jude and Prudence with narrowed eyes, though a small smirk played on her lips. "Thank you both for that," she said sarcastically.

...

An hour later Maggie, Jude and Prudence entered the bar where Sadie and the Po' Boys were playing that night. The three of them made their way over to a large booth and ordered a round of beers while they waited for the show to start; various people they knew drifted over and joined them.

There was an uproar as the band came onstage and started to play. A few songs in, Maggie felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned in her seat to find Max grinning at her, a pretty blonde girl standing a bit nervously at his side.

"Everyone," Max said to the table at large, "this is my little sister Lucy."

There was a chorus of greetings from the assembled group and Lucy smiled and waved at them. Max sat down next to Maggie, put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the cheek; Lucy smacked him hard on the arm and he whipped around to face her, startled.

"Ow! What the hell?"

"Max! You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend!"

Maggie giggled at the scolding tone of Lucy's voice and the offended look on Max's face.

"Well we've only been together since yesterday," Max said defensively. "When exactly was I supposed to tell you?"

Lucy rolled her eyes and leaned around Max to speak to Maggie, smiling at her. "Nice to meet you."

Maggie smiled back. "You too. I'm Maggie, by the way."

"Oh! Max has told me a lot about you," Lucy said with a grin.

"He's told me a lot about you, too," Maggie replied.

With a slight smirk and a roll of his eyes, Max excused himself to go grab drinks. Lucy scooted next to Maggie. The two girls chatted for a few minutes, getting to know each other, until Max returned and squeezed his way back in between them with a roguish grin. Maggie rolled her eyes and smiled at him; he smiled back and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to watch the rest of the show.

...

A couple hours later the show had ended and the whole group, now including Sadie and Jojo, was making their way to Katz's for a late night snack. Walking hand in hand with Max, Maggie gazed at Lucy and Jude, who were walking just ahead of them. It was pretty clear to her that Jude, at least, had a bit of a crush on Max's sister; she still didn't know the blonde girl well enough to gauge whether she might feel the same, though Maggie thought Lucy had been acting a bit oddly since she and Jude had talked privately earlier in the evening.

Before she could think on it further, they arrived at the restaurant and settled themselves around their usual table. Max leaned back in his chair and put his arm around Maggie's shoulders, making her smile. She felt as though she'd had a happy bubble inside her since yesterday and couldn't imagine anything bringing her down right now.

After they'd all received their food, Lucy got Max's attention and fished a slightly squashed white envelope out of her purse, which she handed to him. Sitting next to him, Maggie could easily see the return address and army logo stamped on it; her throat tightened painfully as Max ripped open the envelope.

He pulled out the letter, unfolded it and began to skim the words printed there. Maggie glanced at the page and recognized the same form letter that had been sent to her brother all those months ago.

The others were speaking up, but Maggie couldn't hear their words over the sudden rushing in her ears. She couldn't believe this was happening again. Her hands began to shake and her stomach turned over as Max leaned over the table and lit the letter on fire; as the others watched it burn Maggie stood up abruptly, her chair scraping loudly on the floor and getting the attention of the whole table. They all looked at her questioningly.

"I - I just...this is - I can't..." Maggie ran a trembling hand through her hair. "I need to - I need...some air."

Turning around she hurried away, her vision blurring with tears. Outside on the sidewalk she leaned against the cool wall of the building and closed her eyes, letting the tears flow down her cheeks. A couple minutes later she felt a hand on her shoulder; opening her eyes she found Max standing in front of her, his blue eyes sad and scared as he gazed at her.

Letting out a choked sob, Maggie threw herself into his waiting arms and cried into his chest for several long minutes. Max held her close, both wanting to comfort and be comforted. He couldn't believe this was actually happening. Burying his face in Maggie's hair he inhaled the flowery scent of her shampoo, trying to calm his nerves.

"How can they take you?" Maggie whimpered, her voice muffled by Max's jacket.

He tightened his arms around her, his next words trying to convince himself as much as her. "I might not have to go. The others said there's some stuff I can do to fail the physical, and then they won't take me." He leaned back so he could look at her. "It'll be okay."

Even though she wasn't nearly convinced Maggie nodded, trying to pretend. "Okay."

...

The next few days passed in somewhat of a blur. Everyone did their best to ignore Max's looming appointment at the induction center; the night before he had to go they even threw a party to try and keep everyone's minds off of it.

Sitting in a corner of the living room, Maggie watched as Jude and Lucy left together in the direction of the bedrooms. _At least someone's happy_, she thought. Nothing had been able to make her even briefly forget about Max's draft letter; she was terrified that he would get sent off to Vietnam and never come back, just like David.

Sighing deeply Maggie stood up, weaving her way through the crowd of people to the window. She clambered out onto the fire escape and sat down, leaning on the railing as she pulled a cigarette out of her pocket. After searching all her pockets, she failed to find her lighter; since her nerves were already strained so badly she felt irrational anger bubble up inside her and slammed her hand down on the railing, cursing loudly.

"Damn it!"

"Are you alright?"

Maggie jumped slightly at Max's voice. He came over and sat down beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"I can't find my lighter," Maggie grumbled. A slight smirk crossed Max's face as he pulled out his own and lit her cigarette for her.

"Seems like a bit of an overreaction to a missing lighter."

Maggie sighed. "It's not really about the lighter. I'm just so pissed off."

"I know," Max said, pulling her close. "Hopefully this'll all be over tomorrow."

Maggie curled her arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. "I hope so."

The pair of them sat there in silence for a long while, neither voicing their thoughts and fears about the next day; it seemed that everything had been said already.

Finally Max spoke up. "My ass is asleep."

Maggie laughed, giving him a squeeze. "Let's go inside. It sounds like the party's pretty much done."

Lacing her fingers through Max's, Maggie got to her feet and pulled him up with her; they climbed back in through the window and headed towards the bedrooms, noting that the apartment was indeed nearly empty. When they reached Maggie's room Max made to release her hand, but she didn't let go. He arched an eyebrow at her; they hadn't yet spent the night together and he was wary of going too fast, given her past ordeal.

"Come with me. I just want to be near you," Maggie said softly.

Max nodded and they entered her room through the bead curtain; Maggie picked up her pajamas and glanced at Max, a blush colouring her cheeks. Smiling fondly at her, he kissed her forehead and turned his back so she could change. Far less self-conscious than his girlfriend, Max took off his shoes, socks and jeans, then waited in his t-shirt and boxer shorts until Maggie spoke.

"Thanks, Max. You can turn around now."

He did so and found Maggie sitting cross-legged on her bed wearing a pair of shorts and a faded tank top. She smiled softly and patted the bed next to her; he sat down and cupped her face gently, kissing her. She responded eagerly, looping her arms around his neck as Max threaded his fingers through her soft hair. Sighing softly, Maggie laid back on the bed, taking Max with her.

They continued kissing for a while until Max forced himself to pull back, stopping before he got too carried away and tried something she wasn't ready for; he brushed Maggie's hair behind her ears and kissed her forehead.

"We should get some sleep," he whispered. She nodded and leaned over to turn off the lamp, lying back down a moment later. Max put his arms around her and pulled her close, tucking her head under his chin, and soon they drifted off to sleep.

...

The next morning Maggie woke up when the mattress beneath her shifted drastically; opening her eyes, she saw Max crawling out of bed. He sighed when he noticed she was awake.

"Sorry. I was trying not to wake you."

Maggie sat up, stretching. "That's okay. What time is it?"

"Almost eleven." Max paused uncomfortably. "I have to go soon."

"Right," Maggie said quietly, getting out of bed and pulling on a sweater. "You sure you don't want me to come with you?"

Max pulled her into a hug. "I'm sure. Thanks though, Mags. I'll see you when I get back."

"Okay," she replied, hugging him tight. "Good luck, Max."

...

The day passed agonizingly slowly for Maggie, waiting for Max to return. She felt like she was waiting for the axe to fall; her stomach was in knots all day. She tried to distract herself by painting, but found she couldn't even concentrate on that, and so she resigned herself to sitting in the living room doodling absently on a sketch pad while all manner of horrible thoughts drifted through her mind.

When she heard the front door open late that afternoon Maggie leapt up from the couch, the pad and pencil falling to the floor; moments later Max came into the room, and Maggie instantly knew from the look on his face that the news wasn't good.

"Oh God," she mumbled, going to him. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. Maggie clung to him, doing her best not to break down.

...

That night the apartment was far emptier and more subdued than the previous night. Maggie sat next to Max at the kitchen table, resting her head on her folded arms, as he talked with a couple of their hippie friends.

"And you know what really pisses me off, is I swallowed all those cotton balls and they never even took a damn X-ray," Max said bitterly.

"You still have options, man."

Max glared. "Yeah, jail or Canada and they both suck. I mean, I could never come home, so what is it? It's a choice of a six by four cell or an endless wasteland of frozen tundra."

"Montreal's cool."

"Man, they speak French."

If she hadn't been so miserable Maggie would have laughed at his vehement objection to the French language. As it was, she couldn't even muster up a smirk.

"So learn French," their other friend chimed in. "Learn French or die."

Hearing those words tossed out so casually was more than Maggie could take.

"'Scuse me," she muttered, getting up from the table and grabbing a fresh beer from the fridge before heading to the whatever room. Upon arriving there she found that all her friends were otherwise occupied, so she flopped down on the couch and took a large swig of beer. By the time Max found her, she was halfway through the bottle.

Max sat down next to her and Maggie offered him the beer; he took it and drained most of the remaining liquid in one pull. Curling into him, Maggie laid her head on Max's shoulder. He put his arms around her and rested his cheek on her head.

"She didn't really mean anything by it, you know," he said quietly.

"I know. I'm just so scared for you, Max," Maggie replied, her voice breaking slightly. She tightened her arms around him, as if that could prevent the army from taking him. "I already lost my brother. I can't lose you too."

Max desperately wanted to tell her she wouldn't lose him, but he couldn't bring himself to make a promise that they both knew he might not be able to keep.

...

By the next day Maggie had begun to accept what was happening to Max, even though she hated it. They still had a few months left before he would be shipped out, and Maggie had resolved that she was not going to be miserable the whole time; she was going to make sure they made the most of their time together.

Besides, she'd also realized that she had been a bit selfish by making Max comfort her when he was the one who'd been drafted.

And so she carefully crawled out of bed, making sure she didn't wake Max, and crept out of her bedroom to the kitchen; she was going to make him breakfast as an apology. Half an hour later Maggie had two plates filled with fried eggs, bacon, toast and strawberries. She poured two cups of coffee and, balancing everything with some difficulty, headed back to her bedroom.

She was very glad her room didn't have an actual door, as with an armful of plates and mugs there was no way she'd be able to get one open; backing through the bead curtain she found Max still asleep. With a smile Maggie put the dishes down on her desk and went to sit on the edge of the bed.

Max stirred as she sat down, and mumbled something unintelligible into his pillow. Laughing softly, Maggie leaned down and placed a kiss on his blond head; he rolled over and cracked open his eyes.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Maggie said, smiling at him.

"Morning," Max replied, somewhat groggily. "You made breakfast?"

Maggie nodded. "Yeah. It's kind of to say I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?"

"I am," Maggie said, taking his hand. "I've been kind of insensitive and selfish about all this."

Max didn't have to ask what 'all this' was; he sat up and gave her hand a squeeze. "Don't worry about it. It's hard for all of us."

"I know. But it's harder for you, and I sort of forgot that. So I'm sorry." Maggie paused for a moment, then brightened. "You hungry?"

Max grinned. "Usually."

Laughing, Maggie grabbed the plates from the desk and handed one to Max, then settled in next to him to eat.

**A/N: **So, what did you think? Please let me know :)


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